须 / 不得 / 可
shall, shall not, may: the modal verbs of rules and contracts
Structure
主体 须／应 动词 · 不得 动词 · 可／有权 动词
What it means
Shall, shall not, may: the modal verbs of rules, notices and contracts.
How it is built
Party + 须／应 + verb (must), 不得 + verb (must not), 可／有权 + verb (may): 乙方须于每月五日前支付租金 (Party B shall pay the rent before the fifth of each month).
When to use it
须 and 应 = 必须; 不得 = 不可以; 可 = 可以; 有权 = is entitled to. On signs, 严禁 and 禁止 are stronger still. In contracts, 将 often stands in for 把: 不得将房屋转租他人.
Watch out
不得 (bùdé) means “must not” and has nothing to do with 得不到 (can’t get): 不得转租 = may not sublet. Keep these for written rules; in speech say 得 (děi), 不能, 可以.
Examples
乙方须于每月五日前支付租金。
Party B shall pay the rent before the fifth of each month.
未经同意，乙方不得将房屋转租他人。
Without consent, Party B shall not sublet the premises.
Learn this in Lesson 104 · HSK 7–9: 法律与合同 (Law and contracts)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
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