Discussion of 不得不 [bù dé bù] have to, have no choice or option but to

Discussion of 不得不

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不得已 can not be followed by a verb
他也是不得已，才出此下策。 -/- [phr] He had no other alternative, as a result he had to make such an unwise decision.

不得不 must be followed by a verb
我不得不去买汽油 r/- [phr] I have no other choice but go to buy gas.

lisaC

Note that 不由得 and 由不得 can mean "cannot help but...".

不得不 means "have to, have no choice or option but to"

The difference here is that when 不由得 and 由不得 means "cannot help but...", it's referring to someone's feeling or compulsion, therefore the subject is usually a person. 不得不, on the other hand, is a cognitive decision made based on objective conditions, and circumstances:

Compare these two examples:

- 不由得 here refers to the compulsion to laugh:
E.g. 看着他的滑稽模样，我不由得大笑起来。Seeing his funny appearance, I couldn't help laughing.
- 不得不 is followed by a decision that is made based on the situation that the task has to be completed but is yet to be:
E.g. 任务还没完成，所以周末我们不得不加班。 The task is not completed, so on the weekend we will have to work extra hours.

lisaC

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