不得

bùdé

particle HSK 6 #5,068

Meanings

HSK 5

此处不得吸烟。

Cǐchù bùdé xīyān.

Smoking is not allowed here.

HSK 5

闲人不得入内。

Xiánrén bùdé rùnèi.

Unauthorized persons may not enter.

HSK 7-9

不得擅自离开。

Bùdé shànzì líkāi.

You must not leave without permission.

不得 is formal and often found in rules, regulations, and written notices. In everyday speech, 不能 or 不可以 is more natural.

grammar

不得 can also appear after a verb as a complement meaning "cannot" (e.g., 了不得 "extraordinary/terrible"). The standalone 不得 here means "must not."

不 bù

得 de