AdjectivesHSK 5
Adjectival complement 得不得了
得不得了 follows an adjective to express an extreme degree, similar to 'terribly' or 'extremely' in English. It is used in spoken Chinese for strong emphasis. Avoid using it with action verbs; only adjectives and stative verbs are appropriate.
Structure
Adj. + 得不得了
Examples
- 爸爸气得不得了，你要倒霉啦。Bà ba qì dé bù dé liǎo, nǐ yào dǎo méi lā.Dad is super angry. You're in for it.
- 她的妈妈刚去世，她难过得不得了。Tā de mā ma gāng qù shì, tā nán guò dé bù dé liǎo.Her mom just passed away, so she is extremely upset.
- 今天冷得不得了，怎么会这么冷？Jīn tiān lěng dé bù dé liǎo, zěn me huì zhè me lěng?It's terribly cold today! How can it be this cold?
- 最近有很多项目，忙得不得了。Zuì jìn yǒu hěn duō xiàng mù, máng dé bù dé liǎo.There are so many projects lately. We're crazy busy.
- 升职的事情让他高兴得不得了。Shēng zhí de shì qing ràng tā gāo xìng dé bù dé liǎo.Getting promoted made him extremely happy.