wàn bù dé yǐdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
only when absolutely essential (idiom); as a last resort
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-8b2745af712f67da. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

萬不得已 万不得已 [wan4 bu4 de2 yi3] /only when absolutely essential (idiom); as a last resort/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 萬不得已

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.