Expressing determination with "feiyao"

Most advanced Chinese learners know how to express "wanting to do something" with 要, but sometimes you need to turn it up a degree and express "absolutely insist on doing something." In that case, you can use 一定要 or 非要. Most time 非要 appears with a self-willed emotional color while一定要 is just a expression of "absolutely wanting " or "absolutely insist" without any emotional color.

Structure

Just use 非要 like the auxiliary verb 要. Often use it coupled with 不可.

Subj. + 非要 + Verb (+ 不可)

Examples

• 我 不 让 他 喝 那么 多，他 非要 喝 。I don't want him to drink so much, but he had to.
• 我 不 想 说，可是 她 非要 让 我 说 不可 。I didn't want to tell, but she made me tell.
• 天 那么 冷，可是 我 女儿 非要 穿 裙子 。It's so cold outside, but the child had to wear skirt.
• 他 自己 可以 解决 这 个 问题，干嘛 非要 你 去 帮 他 ？He can solve this problem by himself. Why would you have to help him?
• 情人节 那天，我 女朋友 非要 让 我 送 她 玫瑰花 不可 。My girlfriend had to ask me to give her roses on Valentine's Day.

See also

• Adding emphasis with "fei....buke"
• Expressing “must" with "feidei"

Sources and further reading

HSK6