别

别 (bié) has two HSK 2 jobs that look unrelated but share the same character. The most important is the negative imperative 'don't': place 别 before a verb to tell someone not to do something — 别走 ('don't go'), 别说话 ('don't talk'), 别担心 ('don't worry'). It is the spoken counterpart of the more formal 不要 (búyào, 'don't'); 别 is shorter, friendlier, and the default in conversation. The second job is as an adjective meaning 'other / another,' usually in compounds: 别人 ('other people'), 别的 ('something else'), 特别 ('special; especially'), 区别 ('difference'). To soften a 'don't' command, add 了 at the end: 别说了 ('stop talking already'); to add urgency, add 啊: 别走啊! ('don't go!'). 别 is gentler than 不要; in writing or signs you'll see 请勿 instead.

Note: 别 is the everyday spoken way to say 'don't.' The literary equivalent 勿 (wù) appears on signs (请勿吸烟 'no smoking') but sounds stiff in conversation.

Memory hook: 别 = the spoken 'don't.' Think of it as a verbal stop sign — short, friendly, and used dozens of times a day.