How to use 不要
不要 + Verb
不要 before an action can tell the listener not to do it. It is an instruction, warning, or request rather than simply a report that an action does not happen. The listener is often understood, so the sentence can begin directly with 不要 and continue with the relevant action phrase.
The tone depends on the situation, delivery, and any surrounding polite wording. A confirmation tag can make a request for cooperation more explicit. 别 is another common form for negative instructions. Keep this command use separate from 要 as a verb of wanting: the same characters may occur in statements about not wanting something, where context supplies a different reading.
Examples with pinyin and English
不要走。
Don't leave.
不要打我！
Don't hit me!
不要生气， 好吗？
Don't get angry, OK?
不要哭！
Don't cry!
What to remember
- Place 不要 before the prohibited action.
- The listener can be left unstated.
- Context separates commands from unwanted things.
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Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
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