HSK 6 Adverbs
务必 / 切勿
Be sure to / by all means do not (务必 / 切勿)
Structure 务必 + required action (positive) · 切勿 / 切莫 + forbidden action (negative)
务必 (wùbì) and 切勿 (qièwù) are the emphatic imperatives of notices, instructions and formal announcements. 务必 commands one to do something "without fail, no excuses": 请务必准时到场 = "please be sure to arrive on time". Its negative is 切勿 (or the even more literary 切莫): an exhortation NOT to do something, "by all means do not…, on no account…": 切勿轻信陌生人 = "on no account trust strangers lightly". Against the everyday 别 / 不要 (HSK 1–2) of speech, 切勿/切莫 belong to the written language of signs, leaflets and rules. 勿 is the classical negator of prohibition, inherited from literary Chinese.
Examples
- 会议十分重要,请各位务必准时出席。
The meeting is very important; everyone is asked to be sure to attend on time.
- 操作前务必仔细阅读说明书。
Before operating it, be sure to read the manual carefully.
- 切勿轻信陌生人发来的链接。
On no account trust links sent by strangers.
- 药品须放在儿童接触不到之处,切勿误食。
Medicines must be kept out of children's reach; by no means swallow them by mistake.
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