HSK · Level 75
60 words
Chinese word
只得
Pronunciation
Pinyinzhǐ dé
Meaning
- adverbhave no choice but to
Example
我只得早点走。wǒ zhǐ dé záo diǎn zǒu
I have no choice but to leave early.
More examples
为了完成工作，我只得加班到深夜。wèi le wán chéng gōng zuò wǒ zhǐ dé jiā bān dào shēn yè
To finish the work, I had no choice but to work overtime until late at night.
Core concept
A situation leaves a single workable move, so action follows from constraint rather than preference.
Common phrases
只得承认zhǐ dé chéng rèn
have no choice but to admit
只得接受zhǐ dé jiē shòu
have no choice but to accept
只得离开zhǐ dé lí kāi
have no choice but to leave
只得忍受zhǐ dé rěn shòu
have no choice but to endure
Similar words
只能zhǐ néng: Being able to take only one action because of limited ability or circumstances.
只好zhí hǎo: Choosing an unwanted action because the situation offers no better choice.
不得不bù dé bù: Having to take an action because necessity or duty requires it.
不得已bù dé yǐ: Taking an action because pressing circumstances make every other choice impossible.
Definition in Chinese
表示在没有其他选择的情况下不得不做某事，常含无奈或必然色彩，后接动词或动词短语。biǎo shì zài méi yǒu qí tā xuǎn zé de qíng kuàng xià bù dé bú zuò mǒu shì cháng hán wú nài huò bì rán sè cǎi hòu jiē dòng cí huò dòng cí duán yǔ
Word origin
In 只得 (zhǐdé, "can only"), 只 (zhǐ, "only") limits the options and 得 (dé, "be able to") presents the action that remains possible.
Usage tips
- English often expresses this idea with a negative phrase, while Chinese places the positive action directly after the adverb, a pattern that helps clarify the word order.