bié dòng huāpén.

别 is a very common way to make a negative command in Mandarin. It means don’t.

So:

• 别动 = don’t move it / don’t touch it
• 别说话 = don’t talk
• 别走 = don’t go

In this sentence, 别 + 动 + 花盆 means Don’t move/touch the flowerpot.

不 is usually used for statements, not for telling someone not to do something.

Compare:

• 我不动。 = I’m not moving it. / I won’t move.
• 别动！ = Don’t move!

So if you want to give a command like don’t do that, 别 is the natural choice.

It can suggest either one depending on context.

The basic meaning of 动 is to move. But in everyday speech, 别动 + object often means:

• don’t move it
• don’t touch it
• leave it alone

So 别动花盆 could mean:

• Don’t move the flowerpot
• Don’t touch the flowerpot

If someone is warning a child, the English translation Don’t touch the flowerpot may sound more natural. If someone is worried about the pot being relocated, Don’t move the flowerpot fits better.

Mandarin usually follows verb + object order, just like English in many cases.

Here:

• 别 = don’t
• 动 = move/touch
• 花盆 = flowerpot

So the structure is:

• 别 + verb + object

Examples:

• 别开门。 = Don’t open the door.
• 别看手机。 = Don’t look at your phone.
• 别动花盆。 = Don’t move/touch the flowerpot.

花盆 means flowerpot or plant pot.

It is made of:

• 花 = flower
• 盆 = basin, pot, tub

Together, 花盆 is the pot that flowers or plants grow in.

Yes. Mandarin often leaves out the subject when it is obvious from context.

So 别动花盆 naturally means:

• You, don’t move/touch the flowerpot.

But Mandarin does not need to say 你 here unless you want emphasis:

• 你别动花盆。 = You—don’t move the flowerpot.

Adding 你 can sound more direct or more emphatic, depending on tone.

It is natural, but it is fairly direct.

Mandarin often uses short commands like this in real life, especially when:

• warning someone quickly
• speaking to children
• giving urgent instructions
• telling someone not to interfere with something

If you want to sound softer, you could say:

• 请别动花盆。 = Please don’t move the flowerpot.
• 不要动花盆。 = Don’t move the flowerpot. / Please don’t move the flowerpot.
• 花盆别动。 = Leave the flowerpot alone. (more topic-like emphasis)

Both mean roughly don’t move/touch the flowerpot, but there is a slight difference in feel.

• 别动花盆 is shorter, very common, and often more immediate.
• 不要动花盆 is also common and can sound a little fuller or slightly less abrupt, depending on tone.

In many everyday situations, they are interchangeable.

A rough comparison:

• 别动！ = Don’t move! / Don’t touch it!
• 不要动！ = Don’t move! / Please don’t move!

But tone of voice matters a lot.

Yes. That is very common if you want to specify which flowerpot.

Examples:

• 别动这个花盆。 = Don’t touch this flowerpot.
• 别动那个花盆。 = Don’t touch that flowerpot.

Without 这 or 那个, 花盆 can mean the flowerpot in a general context, usually one that both speaker and listener already know about.

No, not in this sentence.

Measure words are needed mainly when you are counting or specifying quantity, such as:

• 一个花盆 = one flowerpot
• 那个花盆 = that flowerpot

But in 别动花盆, the noun is just the object of the verb, so no measure word is necessary.

It is pronounced:

• 别 bié — second tone
• 动 dòng — fourth tone
• 花 huā — first tone
• 盆 pén — second tone

So the full pronunciation is:

bié dòng huāpén

A learner-friendly rhythm is:

bié | dòng | huā-pén

Yes, very often.

别动！ by itself means:

• Don’t move!
• Don’t touch it!
• Hold still!

The exact meaning depends on context.

For example:

• A doctor might say 别动！ = Hold still!
• Someone protecting an object might say 别动！ = Don’t touch it!

Adding 花盆 tells you what should not be moved or touched.

Normally, no. A native speaker would understand it as a command directed at a person: Don’t move/touch the flowerpot.

If you wanted to talk about the flowerpot itself not moving, you would usually need a different structure or more context.

So the default interpretation is:

• someone is being told not to do something to the flowerpot

Yes, it is possible, but the emphasis changes.

• 别动花盆。 = standard Don’t touch the flowerpot.
• 花盆别动。 = As for the flowerpot, don’t touch it.

Putting 花盆 first makes it more of a topic, drawing attention to that object in particular. This can sound natural when contrasting it with other things:

• 别动书，花盆也别动。 = Don’t touch the books, and don’t touch the flowerpot either.

This is a very useful beginner pattern. Some common examples are:

• 别走。 = Don’t go.
• 别看。 = Don’t look.
• 别说。 = Don’t say it.
• 别碰。 = Don’t touch.
• 别担心。 = Don’t worry.
• 别忘了。 = Don’t forget.

So 别动花盆 fits a very common Mandarin pattern:

别 + verb + object = Don’t do something to something