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不要

bù yào
HSK 2.0 Level 2 HSK 3.0 Level 1 Adverb Very common

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This word has multiple dictionary entries. Choose the reading or usage you want to review.

不要
bú yào Adverb don’t (in commands, a little more formal than 别)
不要
bù yào Adverb don't!; must not

Definitions

  1. 1. don't!
  2. 2. must not

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Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item
务必
wù bì

must

“务必”表示必须、一定要，与“不要”含义相反，如“务必准时”与“不要迟到”相对。

Synonyms

2 items
别
bié

to leave

Both mean 'don't', 别 is more colloquial.
勿
wù

do not

Formal or literary equivalent, often seen on signs.

Usage notes

Collocations

“不要”常与动词搭配，如“不要说话”“不要迟到”，后面直接跟动词或形容词，不用加“了”。

Formality

In formal written Chinese, 不要 is less common than 勿 (wù) or 禁止 (jìnzhǐ).

Grammar

Guides that feature 不要

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1 guide
HSK 2.0 Level 1+ HSK 3.0 Level 1+ 7 min
Commands with 请, 吧, 不要 and Negation with 不, 没

Ask, suggest and tell people not to do things with 请, 吧, 不要 and 别, and choose correctly between 不, 没 and 没有.

Reading: bù yào Open guide

Example Sentences

5 shown
不要 泄露别人的秘密。
Do not divulge other people's secrets.
不要 灰心，下次再试试。
Don't lose heart, try again next time.
不要 为这件事担心。
Don't worry about this matter.
不要 失去希望。
Don't lose hope.
不要 浪费粮食。
Don't waste food.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 不要

不要紧
bù yào jǐn

unimportant

不要在一棵树上吊死
bù yào zài yī kē shù shàng diào sǐ

don't insist on only taking one road to Rome (idiom)

不要脸
bù yào liǎn

to have no sense of shame; shameless

死不要脸
sǐ bù yào liǎn

to know no shame

Child Words of 不要

不
bù

no; not so

要
yāo

(bound form) to demand; to coerce

要
yào

to want; to need; to ask for