How common it is
舍不得 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
Pronunciation focus
Say shě bù dé slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
“舍不得”表示因为喜欢或珍惜而不愿意放弃、离开或使用某样东西。比如，小朋友可能会舍不得自己最爱的玩具，或者舍不得花掉攒了很久的零花钱。
“Shě bù dé” biǎoshì yīnwèi xǐhuān huò zhēnxī ér bù yuànyì fàngqì, líkāi huò shǐyòng mǒu yàng dōngxi. Bǐrú, xiǎopéngyǒu kěnéng huì shě bù dé zìjǐ zuì ài de wánjù, huòzhě shě bù dé huā diào zǎn le hěn jiǔ de línghuāqián.
“舍不得” means being unwilling to give up, leave, or use something because you like or cherish it. For example, a child might be reluctant to part with their favorite toy, or reluctant to spend the pocket money they have saved for a long time.
Context note
当你特别珍惜某个人、某件东西或某段时间，要分开或使用它时，就可以用“舍不得”。比如，假期结束要回学校时，你会舍不得家里的舒服日子；好朋友搬家离开时，你会舍不得他。
Dāng nǐ tèbié zhēnxī mǒu gè rén, mǒu jiàn dōngxi huò mǒu duàn shíjiān, yào fēnkāi huò shǐyòng tā shí, jiù kěyǐ yòng “shě bù dé”. Bǐrú, jiàqī jiéshù yào huí xuéxiào shí, nǐ huì shě bù dé jiā lǐ de shūfu rìzi; hǎo péngyou bānjiā líkāi shí, nǐ huì shě bù dé tā.
When you especially treasure a person, an object, or a period of time, and you have to part with it or use it, you can use “舍不得”. For example, when the holiday ends and you have to go back to school, you may be reluctant to part with the comfortable days at home; when a good friend moves away, you may be reluctant to part with them.
5 examples
我舍不得扔掉这个旧书包，因为它陪了我三年。
wǒ shè bù dé rēng diào zhè ge jiù shū bāo， yīn wèi tā péi le wǒ sān nián。
I am reluctant to part with this old schoolbag because it has been with me for three years.
妈妈舍不得花太多钱买衣服，总是等到打折才买。
mā ma shè bù dé huā tài duō qián mǎi yī fu， zǒng shì děng dào dǎ zhé cái mǎi。
Mom is reluctant to spend too much money on clothes; she always waits until they are on sale.
小美很舍不得她的朋友搬家去别的城市。
xiǎo měi hěn shè bù dé tā de péng yǒu bān jiā qù bié de chéng shì。
Xiaomei is very reluctant to part with her friend who is moving to another city.
弟弟舍不得吃最后一块巧克力，想留到明天。
dì di shè bù dé chī zuì hòu yí kuài qiǎo kè lì， xiǎng liú dào míng tiān。
My little brother is reluctant to eat the last piece of chocolate; he wants to save it for tomorrow.
爷爷舍不得离开他住了一辈子的老房子。
yé ye shè bù dé lí kāi tā zhù le yí bèi zi de lǎo fáng zi。
Grandpa is reluctant to leave the old house where he has lived his whole life.
5 mini stories
小明有一只小熊玩偶，每天晚上都要抱着它睡觉。他特别舍不得把它放进洗衣机，怕它坏了。
xiǎo míng yǒu yì zhī xiǎo xióng wán ǒu， měi tiān wǎn shàng dōu yào bào zhe tā shuì jiào。 tā tè bié shè bù dé bǎ tā fàng jìn xǐ yī jī， pà tā huài le。
Xiaoming has a little bear plush toy; he hugs it every night to sleep. He is very reluctant to put it in the washing machine, afraid it might get damaged.
小红攒了好多漂亮的贴纸，一张都舍不得贴。她把这些贴纸都藏在抽屉里，每天看一看。
xiǎo hóng zǎn le hǎo duō piào liang de tiē zhǐ， yì zhāng dōu shè bù dé tiē。 tā bǎ zhè xiē tiē zhǐ dōu cáng zài chōu tì lǐ， měi tiān kàn yi kàn。
Xiaohong has saved many beautiful stickers; she is reluctant to stick even one. She hides all the stickers in a drawer and looks at them every day.
哥哥要上大学了，要住到学校宿舍去。妹妹舍不得哥哥，偷偷在他的书包里放了一张全家福照片。
gē ge yào shàng dà xué le， yào zhù dào xué xiào sù shè qù。 mèi mèi shè bù dé gē ge， tōu tōu zài tā de shū bāo lǐ fàng le yì zhāng quán jiā fú zhào piàn。
Big brother is going to college and will live in the dormitory. Little sister is reluctant to part with him, so she secretly puts a family photo in his bag.
爸爸买了一盒很贵的饼干，我特别想吃，可是爸爸说先别吃。我虽然很舍不得，但还是决定等大家一起吃。
bà ba mǎi le yì hé hěn guì de bǐng gān， wǒ tè bié xiǎng chī， kě shì bà ba shuō xiān bié chī。 wǒ suī rán hěn shè bù dé， dàn hái shì jué dìng děng dà jiā yì qǐ chī。
Dad bought a box of very expensive cookies; I really want to eat them, but Dad says not to eat them yet. Although I am very reluctant, I still decide to wait and share with everyone.
奶奶的旧缝纫机已经很旧了，但奶奶一直舍不得扔掉。她说这台机器陪她做了很多漂亮的衣服。
nǎi nai de jiù féng rèn jī yǐ jīng hěn jiù le， dàn nǎi nǎi yì zhí shè bù dé rēng diào。 tā shuō zhè tái jī qì péi tā zuò le hěn duō piào liang de yī fu。
Grandma's old sewing machine is already very old, but Grandma has always been reluctant to throw it away. She says this machine has helped her make many beautiful clothes.