只得

zhǐdé

adverb HSK 6 #23,662

Meanings

1 to have no choice but to; to be forced to; can only

Characters

to get; to obtain; must

One can only — having no other option.

Examples

没有公交车，我只得走路回家。

Méiyǒu gōngjiāochē, wǒ zhǐ dé zǒulù huíjiā.

There were no buses, so I had no choice but to walk home.

雨太大了，他只得取消了计划。

Yǔ tài dà le, tā zhǐ dé qǔxiāo le jìhuà.

The rain was too heavy, so he had to cancel the plan.

钱不够，她只得放弃了旅行。

Qián bù gòu, tā zhǐ dé fàngqì le lǚxíng.

She didn't have enough money, so she had to give up the trip.

Tips

usage

只得 is more literary than 只好 (zhǐhǎo), which is more common in speech. Both mean 'have no choice but to.' 不得不 (bùdébù) is another synonym, slightly more emphatic.

Stroke Order

只 zhǐ

得 dé