不得已
bù dé yǐ
Pinyin

Definition

不得已
 - 
bù dé yǐ
  1. to act against one's will
  2. to have no alternative but to
  3. to have to
  4. to have no choice
  5. must

Character Decomposition

Related Words (20)

不
bù
  1. 1 (negative prefix)
  2. 2 not
  3. 3 no
已
yǐ
  1. 1 already
  2. 2 to stop
  3. 3 then
  4. 4 afterwards
已经
yǐ jīng
  1. 1 already
得
dé
  1. 1 to obtain
  2. 2 to get
  3. 3 to gain
  4. 4 to catch (a disease)
  5. 5 proper
  6. 6 suitable
  7. 7 proud
  8. 8 contented
  9. 9 to allow
  10. 10 to permit
  11. 11 ready
  12. 12 finished
获得
huò dé
  1. 1 to obtain
  2. 2 to receive
  3. 3 to get
觉得
jué de
  1. 1 to think
  2. 2 to feel
不久
bù jiǔ
  1. 1 not long (after)
  2. 2 before too long
  3. 3 soon
  4. 4 soon after
不但
bù dàn
  1. 1 not only (... but also...)
不仅
bù jǐn
  1. 1 not only (this one)
  2. 2 not just (...) but also
不到
bù dào
  1. 1 not to arrive
  2. 2 not reaching
  3. 3 insufficient
  4. 4 less than
不同
bù tóng
  1. 1 different
  2. 2 distinct
  3. 3 not the same
  4. 4 not alike
不堪
bù kān
  1. 1 cannot bear
  2. 2 cannot stand
  3. 3 utterly
  4. 4 extremely
不如
bù rú
  1. 1 not equal to
  2. 2 not as good as
  3. 3 inferior to
  4. 4 it would be better to
不妨
bù fáng
  1. 1 there is no harm in
  2. 2 might as well
不安
bù ān
  1. 1 unpeaceful
  2. 2 unstable
  3. 3 uneasy
  4. 4 disturbed
  5. 5 restless
  6. 6 worried
不少
bù shǎo
  1. 1 many
  2. 2 a lot
  3. 3 not few
不已
bù yǐ
  1. 1 endlessly
  2. 2 incessantly
不幸
bù xìng
  1. 1 misfortune
  2. 2 adversity
  3. 3 unfortunate
  4. 4 sad
  5. 5 unfortunately
  6. 6 CL:個|个[gè]
不得不
bù dé bù
  1. 1 have no choice or option but to
  2. 2 cannot but
  3. 3 have to
  4. 4 can't help it
  5. 5 can't avoid
不得了
bù dé liǎo
  1. 1 desperately serious
  2. 2 disastrous
  3. 3 extremely
  4. 4 exceedingly

Idioms (20)

一不做，二不休
yī bù zuò , èr bù xiū
  1. 1 don't do it, or don't rest (idiom); either give up, or go through to the end
  2. 2 Since we started, we must carry it through whatever happens.
  3. 3 in for a penny, in for a pound
一人得道，鸡犬升天
yī rén dé dào , jī quǎn shēng tiān
  1. 1 lit. when a man achieves the Dao, his poultry and dogs rise to Heaven (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. to ride on sb else's success
  3. 3 Once one man gets a government position, all his cronies get in too
  4. 4 Once sb has cracked the problem, every Tom, Dick and Harry can do it
一问三不知
yī wèn sān bù zhī
  1. 1 lit. to reply "don't know" whatever the question (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. absolutely no idea of what's going on
  3. 3 complete ignorance
一尘不染
yī chén bù rǎn
  1. 1 untainted by even a speck of dust (idiom); selfless and incorruptible
  2. 2 spotless
一夔已足
yī kuí yǐ zú
  1. 1 one talented person is enough for the job (idiom)
一字不提
yī zì bù tí
  1. 1 to not mention a single word (about sth) (idiom)
一山不容二虎
yī shān bù róng èr hǔ
  1. 1 lit. the mountain can't have two tigers (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. this town ain't big enough for the two of us
  3. 3 (of two rivals) to be fiercely competitive
一成不变
yī chéng bù biàn
  1. 1 nothing much changes (idiom); always the same
  2. 2 stuck in a rut
一文不值
yī wén bù zhí
  1. 1 worthless (idiom)
  2. 2 no use whatsoever
一日不见，如隔三秋
yī rì bù jiàn , rú gé sān qiū
  1. 1 one day apart seems like three years (idiom)
一毛不拔
yī máo bù bá
  1. 1 stingy (idiom)
一瓶子不响，半瓶子晃荡
yī píng zi bù xiǎng , bàn píng zi huàng dang
  1. 1 lit. a full bottle makes no sound; a half-filled bottle sloshes (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. empty vessels make the most noise
一病不起
yī bìng bù qǐ
  1. 1 to fall gravely ill, never to recover (idiom)
一窍不通
yī qiào bù tōng
  1. 1 lit. doesn't (even) enter a single aperture (of one's head)
  2. 2 I don't understand a word (idiom)
  3. 3 it's all Greek to me
一笔不苟
yī bǐ bù gǒu
  1. 1 lit. not even one stroke is negligent (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. to write characters (calligraphy) in which every stroke is placed perfectly
一丝不挂
yī sī bù guà
  1. 1 not wearing one thread (idiom); absolutely naked
  2. 2 without a stitch of clothing
  3. 3 in one's birthday suit
一丝不苟
yī sī bù gǒu
  1. 1 not one thread loose (idiom); strictly according to the rules
  2. 2 meticulous
  3. 3 not one hair out of place
一举两得
yī jǔ liǎng dé
  1. 1 one move, two gains (idiom); two birds with one stone
一着不慎，满盘皆输
yī zhāo bù shèn , mǎn pán jiē shū
  1. 1 One careless move and the whole game is lost. (idiom)
一言不发
yī yán bù fā
  1. 1 to not say a word (idiom)

Sample Sentences

我想，您当初进宫也是迫不得已吧？
wǒ xiǎng ，nín dāngchū jìn gōng yě shì pòbùdéyǐ ba ？
I imagine the original decision to enter you into the palace wasn't your's to make, am I right?
Go to Lesson 
他恐怕是不得已吧。陈瑶，你的丈夫对你忠诚吗？
tā kǒngpà shì bùdéyǐ ba 。Chén Yáo ，nǐ de zhàngfu duì nǐ zhōngchéng ma ？
I'm afraid he had no choice. Chen Yao, was your husband faithful to you?
Go to Lesson 
话也不能这么说。我看过好多研究统计，都说死刑与犯罪的升降并不具有必然的关系。好多人犯罪是迫不得已，再说碰到冤案怎么办？白白死一个无辜的人？
huà yě bùnéng zhème shuō 。wǒ kàn guo hǎo duō yánjiū tǒngjì ，dōu shuō sǐxíng yǔ fànzuì de shēngjiàng bìngbù jùyǒu bìrán de guānxi 。hǎo duō rén fànzuì shì pòbùdéyǐ ，zàishuō pèngdào yuān'àn zěnme bàn ？báibái sǐ yī ge wúgū de rén ？
You can't say that. I've seen a lot of research statistics, and they all say that the death penalty isn't necessarily related to the crime rate. A lot of people commit crimes because they are compelled to. Furthermore, what about when you run into a mistaken conviction? Kill an innocent person for nothing?
Go to Lesson