不要 (bù yào)

Character breakdown

• 不 (bù) · 4 strokes

  Pictograph of sepals of a flower. The modern meaning "no" is a phonetic loan.

• 要 (yāo) · 9 strokes

  Pictograph of two hands grabbing a woman's (女) waist. The current meaning "want" is a phonetic loan. The original meaning "waist" is now written as 腰.

Example sentences

1. 不要死！ — Don't die!
2. 不要动。 — Don't move.
3. 我不要。 — I don't want to.
4. 不要动. — Don't move.
5. 我不要. — I don't want it.

View all 50 example sentences for 不要 →