Chinese word

舍不得

Pronunciation

Pinyinshě bu de

Meaning

  • verbbe reluctant to part with

Example

我舍不得扔掉这件旧衣服。wǒ shě bu de rēng diào zhè jiàn jiù yī fú

I can't bear to throw away this old piece of clothing.

Illustration for 舍不得 (be reluctant to part with)

More examples

妈妈舍不得孩子离开家。mā mā shě bu de hái zi lí kāi jiā

Mom is reluctant to let her child leave home.

Core concept

Strong attachment makes letting go, losing something, or leaving feel emotionally difficult.

Common phrases

  • 舍不得放下过去shě bu de fàng xià guò qù

    be reluctant to let go of the past

  • 舍不得孩子离开shě bu de hái zi lí kāi

    be reluctant to let one's child leave

  • 舍不得说再见shě bu de shuō zài jiàn

    be reluctant to say goodbye

Similar words

不舍bù shě: Parting from someone or something feels painful, creating reluctance to let go.
不忍心bù rěn xīn: Compassion makes hurting or forcing away someone or something feel wrong.
留恋liú liàn: Attachment to a place, past event, or relationship makes leaving feel difficult.
爱惜ài xī: Valuing something leads to careful treatment and avoiding waste, damage, or easy disposal.

Definition in Chinese

因为眷恋、感情或习惯而不忍放弃某物或某人，表示不愿做某事或不愿离开。yīn wèi juàn liàn gǎn qíng huò xí guàn ér bù rěn fàng qì mǒu wù huò mǒu rén biǎo shì bú yuàn zuò mǒu shì huò bú yuàn lí kāi

Word origin

舍 (shě, "let go") + 不 (bù, "not") + 得 (dé, "be able to") literally presents letting go as something one cannot do, which gives the word its sense of attachment-based reluctance.

Usage tips

  • English often uses "not want to" for both practical choices and feelings, while this word marks an attachment that makes giving something up emotionally difficult.

Other meanings

  • be sorry to loseadjective
  • be reluctant to leaveadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word