The 非…不可 structure
"To have to..."
The structure indicates that someone definitely has to do something. A verb or verb phrase is placed between 非 and 不可.
Examples
不管天气怎么样,我们不可
No matter what is the weather like, we have to go
bùguǎn tiānqì zěnmeyàng, wǒmen fēi qù bù kě
他正生着气呢,你现在说不可吗?
He is angry. Do you have to bring that up now?
tā zhèng shēngzhe qì ne, nǐ fēi xiànzài shuō bù kě ma
This structure is also used to express an assumption that something definitely must happen.
Examples
你这么晚回家,妈妈骂你不可
You came home so late! Your mother will definitely scold you
nǐ zhème wǎn huí jiā, māma fēi mà nǐ bù kě
你不去上课,老师生气不可
You don’t attend classes. Your teacher must be very angry
nǐ bú qù shàngkè, lǎoshī fēi shēngqì bù kě
The verb between 非 and 不可 can be omitted. In this case, only a verb complement remains.
Examples
他说了这本书不可,其他的书他都不要
He said that he has to buy this book. He doesn’t need any other books
tā shuō le fēi zhè běn shū bù kě, qítā de shū tā dōu bú yào
今天我们要去吃四川菜,而且这个饭店不可
We are going to eat Sichuan cuisine. We should definitely eat in this restaurant
jīntiān wǒmen yào qù chī sìchuān cài, érqiě fēi zhège fàndiàn bùkě
In colloquial speech, if there are the verbs or after 非, 不可 is often omitted.
Pay attention
However, if there is a noun after 非, 不可 cannot be omitted.
Examples
非要
You have to go
nǐ fēi yào qù
非得把音乐放那么响吗?
Do you have to play the music that loud?
nǐ fēi děi bǎ yīnyuè fàng nàme xiǎng ma
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