舍不得

捨不得
shěbude
verb HSK 5 #11,568

Meanings

  1. 1 to hate to part with; to be reluctant to give up
  2. 2 to not have the heart to

Characters

Literally 'cannot give up' - unable to let go of something valued

Examples

HSK 1
Tā shěbude huāqián.
She can't bear to spend money.
HSK 2
Wǒ shěbude líkāi zhèlǐ.
I can't bear to leave this place.
HSK 7-9
Shěbude háizi tào bù zháo láng.
You can't catch a wolf without risking the child. (Nothing ventured, nothing gained.)

Tips

grammar
舍不得 is the negative potential form: (to give up) + 不得 (cannot). Its opposite is 舍得 (willing to part with). The pattern is: 舍不得 + verb/noun.
culture
The proverb 舍不得孩子套不着狼 is a vivid Chinese saying: you must be willing to sacrifice something precious to achieve a big goal. Similar to 'nothing ventured, nothing gained.'

Stroke Order

shě
de