舍不得

捨不得

shěbude

verb HSK 5 #11,568

Meanings

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

Characters

to give up; to abandon

able to (complement marker)

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

Examples

我舍不得离开这里。

Wǒ shěbude líkāi zhèlǐ.

I can't bear to leave this place.

她舍不得花钱。

Tā shěbude huā qián.

She can't bear to spend money.

舍不得孩子套不着狼。

Shěbude háizi tào bù zháo láng.

You can't catch a wolf without risking the child. (Nothing ventured, nothing gained.)

这本书太好了，我舍不得放下。

Zhè běn shū tài hǎo le, wǒ shěbude fàngxià.

This book is so good, I can't put it down.

Tips

grammar

舍不得 is the negative potential form: 舍 (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

舍 shě

不 bù

得 dé