Skip to content
Chinese Copilot

别biédon't ...!

HSK 2word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

别 (bié) means "don't." Put it before a verb to tell someone not to do something, as in 别走, 别说话, or 别喝水. A secondary bound sense means "other," "another," or "different," and it shows up in 别的, as in 别的书. Use the prohibitive sense for a command. The "other" sense does not stand alone as a verb.

What does 别 mean?

  1. 1.

    don't ...!adverb

  2. 2.

    other; another; differentbound form

What does the character 别 mean?

  • 别don't ...!

How do you use 别?

Grammar patterns

  1. 1

    别 + Verb (+ Obj.)

    Put 别 before a verb, and an object if there is one, to tell someone not to do that action.

别 can come right before a verb to tell someone not to do it; the bound sense "other" needs a word like 别的 and is not a command.

Patterns

  • 别 + Verb

    别走。

    Bié zǒu.

    Don't go.

  • 别 + Verb + Obj.

    别喝水。

    Bié hē shuǐ.

    Don't drink the water.

  • 别的 + Noun

    我要别的书。

    Wǒ yào biéde shū.

    I want a different book.

What are some examples of 别 in a sentence?

  1. HSK 2

    别走。

    Bié zǒu.

    Don't go.

  2. HSK 1

    别说话。

    Bié shuōhuà.

    Don't talk.

  3. HSK 1

    别喝水。

    Bié hē shuǐ.

    Don't drink the water.

  4. HSK 3

    我要别的书。

    Wǒ yào biéde shū.

    I want a different book.

How is 别 different from 不?

别 before a verb tells someone not to do it. 不 negates what someone does or is. 他不说话 means he is not talking; it is not the command Don't talk.

Only 别 fits here

别说话。

Bié shuōhuà.

Don't talk.

How is 别 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    我想喝水。

    Wǒ xiǎng hē shuǐ.

    I want some water.

  2. Speaker B:

    别喝。

    Bié hē.

    Don't drink it.

  3. Speaker A:

    为什么？

    Wèishénme?

    Why?

  4. Speaker B:

    这水不好。

    Zhè shuǐ bù hǎo.

    This water is not good.

Can you use 别 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.Fill in the blank: ___走。(Don't go.)
  2. 2.Which sentence means "Don't talk"?
  3. 3.Fill in the blank: 我要___书。(I want a different book.)

What should you learn next?

Related words

Browse every entry in the Chinese word dictionary.

English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.