Expressing "stop doing" with "bie… le"

You may know how to make negative commands with "bie," but what if someone is already doing it? The pattern 别⋯⋯了 (bié... le) is all you need to tell someone to STOP DOING THAT (which they're already doing).

Structure

别 + Verb / [Verb Phrase] + 了

Instead of just a verb, it can also be a verb phrase.

Examples

• 别 说 了 ， 我 不 想 听 。Bié shuō le, wǒ bù xiǎng tīng.Stop talking. I don't want to listen.
• 别 问 了 ， 我 不 想 说 。Bié wèn le, wǒ bù xiǎng shuō.Stop asking. I don't want to say.
• 别 做 了 ，明天 做 吧 。Bié zuò le, míngtiān zuò ba.Stop doing it. Do it tomorrow.
• 别 看 了，睡觉 ！Bié kàn le, shuìjiào! Stop watching. Go to sleep!
• 别 哭 了 ！Bié kū le!Stop crying!
• 别 笑 了 ，别人 都 在 看 你 。Bié xiào le, biérén dōu zài kàn nǐ.Stop laughing. Other people are looking at you.
• 别 吃 了 ，我们 要 迟到 了 。Bié chī le, wǒmen yào chídào le.Stop eating. We're going to be late.
• 别 玩 了 ，去 写 作业 。Bié wán le, qù xiě zuòyè.Stop playing. Do your homework.
• 别 喝 了 ，你 已经 醉 了 。Bié hē le, nǐ yǐjīng zuì le.Stop drinking. You're already drunk.

Other Meaning

The "别 verb 了“ pattern can also be used to negate the other person's suggestion or try to change their idea. The difference between this usage and the previous example is that the action has not happened yet. A few examples:

• 别 买 了 ，太 贵 了 ！In this case, the person probably isn't actually paying, but she or he is thinking about it.Bié mǎi le, tài guì le! Don't buy it. It's too expensive!
• 别 做饭 了 ，出去 吃 吧 。In this case, the person probably isn't actually cooking, but she or he is thinking about it.Bié zuòfàn le, chūqù chī ba.Let's go out for dinner instead of cook.
• 下雨 了 ，别 出去 了 。In this case, the person hasn't left yet, but she or he is thinking about going out.Xiàyǔ le, bié chūqù le.It's raining. Let's stay inside instead of going out.

See also

• Negative commands with "bie"

Sources and further reading

Books

• 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (pp. 83) [ →buy]

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语词典（第5版） (p. 92) →buy