不得已 (bù dé yǐ): to act against one's will; to have no alternative but to; to have to; to have no choice; must

Meaning & Stroke Order

HSK 7adjective

Word info

Pinyin
Meaning: to act against one's will; to have no alternative but to; to have to; to have no choice; must
Characters: 3
Part of speech: adjective
HSK level: HSK 7

Full definitions

to act against ones will
to have no alternative but to
to have to
to have no choice
must

Chinese explanation

表示由于客观情况或条件限制，不得不违背自己的意愿去做某件事，心里并不想这样做但没有别的选择。常用来解释某种无奈的决定或行为，比如因为时间太紧，不得已改变了原来的计划。

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Character breakdown

HSK 1

HSK 3

to obtain

HSK 4

already

Example sentences

Because it suddenly started pouring, we had no choice but to cancel the outdoor wedding we had planned and hold it indoors instead.

He didn't want to trouble others, but his leg injury hadn't healed yet, so he had no choice but to ask his neighbor to help buy groceries.

The company was short on funds, so it had no choice but to postpone the launch of the new product and focus first on solving its cash flow problems.

She really wanted to continue her studies, but her family truly couldn't afford the tuition, so she had no choice but to give up the opportunity to study abroad.

Due to severe weather, the plane was forced to land at a nearby alternate airport, and the passengers had no choice but to wait in the terminal.

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