不得

bùdé
particle #5,068

Meanings

  1. 1 must not
  2. 2 may not
  3. 3 not allowed to

Examples

Cǐchù bùdé xīyān.
Smoking is not allowed here.
Bùdé shànzì líkāi.
You must not leave without permission.
Xiánrén bùdé rùnèi.
Unauthorized persons may not enter.

Tips

register
不得 is formal and often found in rules, regulations, and written notices. In everyday speech, 不能 (bù néng) or 不可 (bù kěyǐ) is more natural.
grammar
不得 can also appear after a verb as a complement meaning "cannot" (e.g., 了不得 liǎobùdé "extraordinary/terrible"). The standalone 不得 here means "must not."

Stroke Order