说不得

說不得
shuōbude
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 unmentionable
  2. 2 unspeakable
  3. 3 cannot but
  4. 4 must (do something)

Examples

Zhè jiàn shì shuōbude, nǐ bié wèn le.
This matter is not to be spoken of — stop asking.
Jīntiān xià dà yǔ, shuōbude yě děi chūmén.
It's raining hard today, but I have to go out anyway.

Tips

usage
Two senses split by tone of context: 'cannot be said' (taboo, secret) versus 'cannot help but' (forced to act). Tone of voice and surrounding context disambiguate.
register
Slightly literary/colloquial. The 'must do' sense often appears in older novels like 《红楼梦》 (Hónglóumèng — Dream of the Red Chamber).

Stroke Order

shuō