少不得

Mandarin · pinyin shǎo bu dé

Meanings

  1. cannot be avoided
  2. cannot do without
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Characters in this entry

少
shǎo · few, less, inadequate
不
bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
得
dé · obtain, get, gain, acquire
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–5–2 · shao3 bu5 de2

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Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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