不得不 (bùdébù) — have no choice but to; must; cannot but

不得不 (bùdébù)

不得不 is an adverbial expression meaning "have no choice but to" or "cannot help but," used when circumstances force someone to do something against their preference.

Meanings

1. [adverb / expression] have no choice but to; must; cannot but (indicates that the subject is compelled by circumstances to perform an action, implying reluctance or lack of alternatives)

Usage Note

不得不 is placed before a verb and emphasizes that the action is done out of necessity or compulsion, not free will. This distinguishes it from 必须 (bìxū, must), which simply states a requirement without implying reluctance.

Compare:

• 我不得不接受这个结果。 I have no choice but to accept this result. (reluctant, forced by circumstances)
• 我必须接受这个结果。 I must accept this result. (obligation, neutral tone)

Example Sentences

天气太差了，我不得不取消行程。 Tiānqì tài chà le, wǒ bùdébù qǔxiāo xíngchéng. The weather was too bad; I had no choice but to cancel the trip.

他生病了，不得不请假。 Tā shēngbìng le, bùdébù qǐngjià. He fell ill and had no choice but to take time off.

由于资金不足，公司不得不缩小规模。 Yóuyú zījīn bùzú, gōngsī bùdébù suōxiǎo guīmó. Due to insufficient funds, the company had no choice but to downsize.

尽管很累，她不得不继续工作。 Jǐnguǎn hěn lèi, tā bùdébù jìxù gōngzuò. Although she was very tired, she had no choice but to keep working.

Collocations

Memory Hook

Read it literally: 不得 (cannot get / not permitted) + 不 (not). "Not permitted to not do it" means you are forced to do it. The double negative locks you in: you cannot escape the action.