tuōpán lǐ bùnéng yǒu jīshuǐ.

里 means inside / in. After a noun, it turns that noun into a location phrase.

So:

• 托盘 = tray
• 托盘里 = in the tray / inside the tray

This is a very common pattern in Chinese:

• 盒子里 = in the box
• 房间里 = in the room
• 杯子里 = in the cup

In this sentence, 托盘里 tells you the location where something must not be present.

In Chinese, a location phrase can often appear without 在, especially in short instructions, notices, or formal statements.

So both of these are possible:

• 托盘里不能有积水。
• 在托盘里不能有积水。

The version without 在 sounds concise and natural, especially in written instructions or rules.

A rough way to feel the difference:

• 托盘里不能有积水 = In the tray, there must not be standing water.
• 在托盘里不能有积水 = There cannot be standing water in the tray.

Both are understandable, but the original is tighter and more typical for a warning or requirement.

Here 不能 is best understood as must not / cannot be allowed to.

In many real-world instructions, 不能 does not just describe physical inability. It often expresses a rule, restriction, or requirement.

So in this sentence, it means something like:

• standing water is not allowed in the tray
• the tray must not contain standing water

So although 不能 literally often translates as cannot, the practical meaning here is closer to must not.

有 means to have or there is/are.

In Chinese, when you want to say that something exists in a place, a very common pattern is:

place + 有 + thing

So:

• 托盘里有水 = There is water in the tray.
• 托盘里不能有积水 = There must not be standing water in the tray.

This is different from English, where we usually say there is. Chinese often uses 有 for this idea of existence or presence.

Because 是 is not used to show that something exists in a place.

Compare:

• 托盘里有积水 = There is standing water in the tray.
• 托盘里是积水 = unnatural in this context

是 is mainly used to connect nouns, like A is B:

• 这是托盘。 = This is a tray.

But when talking about something being present somewhere, Chinese normally uses 有:

• 桌子上有一本书。 = There is a book on the table.
• 房间里有人。 = There is someone in the room.

积水 means accumulated water, pooled water, or standing water.

It does not just mean any water in general. It suggests water that has collected and remained somewhere, often when it should not be there.

So:

• 水 = water
• 积水 = water that has built up or pooled

That is why 积水 is a very natural word in safety rules, cleaning instructions, maintenance notices, and manufacturing contexts.

Yes, this word order is very normal.

A useful way to read it is:

• 托盘里 = in the tray
• 不能 = must not / cannot
• 有 = have / contain / there be
• 积水 = standing water

So the structure is:

location + modal verb + main verb + noun

This is a common Chinese pattern.

Compare:

• 房间里不能抽烟。 = You must not smoke in the room.
• 冰箱里不能放热食。 = You must not put hot food in the fridge.
• 托盘里不能有积水。 = There must not be standing water in the tray.

Yes. Chinese often leaves out the subject when it is obvious or unimportant.

This sentence does not explicitly say who must make sure of this. The focus is on the rule itself.

In English, we might expand it as:

• The tray must not contain standing water.
• There must not be standing water in the tray.
• You should not allow standing water to collect in the tray.

Chinese often prefers the shorter, more impersonal version in instructions.

Usually 里 is better here if the water is collecting inside the tray.

• 托盘里 = in the tray
• 托盘上 = on the tray / on top of the tray

If the tray has sides and water is pooling within it, 里 is the natural choice.

If you were talking about something sitting on the top surface of a flat tray, 上 might be possible in another context. But for standing water collected in the tray, 里 is the more natural word.

Yes, sometimes.

• 托盘里 = in the tray
• 托盘内 = inside the tray

内 is usually more formal or written-sounding than 里. You may see it in manuals, technical writing, or labels.

So:

• 托盘里不能有积水。 = natural and common
• 托盘内不能有积水。 = also correct, slightly more formal

Very often, yes, especially in rules or requirements.

Examples:

• 冰箱里不能有异味。 = There must not be bad smells in the refrigerator.
• 文件里不能有错别字。 = There must not be typos in the document.
• 伤口不能有感染。 = The wound must not have an infection / must not become infected.

So 不能有 + noun is a useful pattern for saying that something undesirable must not be present.

积水 is pronounced jīshuǐ.

The tones are:

• 积 jī = first tone
• 水 shuǐ = third tone

So it is:

• high, level tone on jī
• dipping third tone on shuǐ

Nothing especially unusual happens here, but learners sometimes need to be careful not to turn shuǐ into a second tone.

It sounds especially natural as a written instruction, safety rule, maintenance requirement, or workplace notice.

For example, you might see it in:

• a cleaning checklist
• a factory manual
• a product maintenance guide
• a sanitation or safety notice

In casual conversation, someone might say something slightly fuller, such as:

• 托盘里不要有积水。
• 托盘里别留积水。

But the original sentence is perfectly natural and clear, especially in formal or instructional contexts.