不要
bú yào
Negative commands with "buyao"
不要 is "don't" — the same prohibition as 别, a touch more formal.
不要 + Verb
How it works
不要说英文！ — don't speak English! You'll see 不要 on signs and hear 别 between friends.
Careful: 不要 as a prohibition is different from 不想. 我不要去 refuses; 我不想去 states a preference.
Examples
bú yào shuō yīng wén!
不要说英文！
Don't speak English!
bú yào wàng le dài hù zhào
不要忘了带护照。
Don't forget to bring your passport.
qǐng bú yào zài zhè lǐ chōu yān
请不要在这里抽烟。
Please don't smoke here.