得 (děi): obligation must
得 (děi) is a modal meaning must / have to — obligation from external circumstances, not just desire.
> 我得走了。(I have to leave now.)
Key contrasts:
- 要 = want to / will / should (weaker or desire-based)
- 必须 = must (stronger, rule-based)
- 得 (děi) = have to (circumstance-based, colloquial)
Position: Subject + 得 + Verb phrase
Negation: 不用 or 不需要 (not 不得 — that means cannot reach / unacceptable).
❌ 我不得走。 ✅ 我不用走。
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 明天有考试，我今晚得好好复习。 | Míngtiān yǒu kǎoshì, wǒ jīn wǎn děi hǎohǎo fùxí. | There's an exam tomorrow — I have to review thoroughly tonight. | 得 expressing obligation driven by external circumstance |
| 这件事你得自己解决，我帮不了你。 | Zhè jiàn shì nǐ děi zìjǐ jiějué, wǒ bāng bù liǎo nǐ. | You have to handle this yourself — I can't help you. | 得 marking personal obligation; 帮不了 = resultative cannot |
| 要赶上火车，我们得马上出发才行。 | Yào gǎnshàng huǒchē, wǒmen děi mǎshàng chūfā cái xíng. | To catch the train, we have to leave right now. | 才行 reinforces the necessity established by 得 |
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
What this opens up
These patterns list 得 (děi) among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
得 (děi) is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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