不堪 (bù kān) — cannot bear, cannot stand; extremely, utterly (used after a negative adjective to intensify the degree)
Definition
不堪 means 'cannot bear' (a state or situation) and also intensifies a negative adjective to mean 'extremely' (贫困不堪 = extremely impoverished). Compare 难堪 ('embarrassed / awkward') and 受不了 ('can't stand' an ongoing annoyance).
cannot bearcannot standextremelyutterly (used after a negative adjective to intensify the degree)
Examples
- ，不堪。Lín jū tiān tiān zhuāng xiū, tā bù kān qí rǎo.The neighbor renovates every day, and he can't stand the disturbance.
- 不堪，。Zhè ge xiǎo zhèn pín kùn bù kān, zhì jīn méi yǒu tōng gōng lù.This small town is extremely impoverished; it still doesn't have a paved road.
- ，不堪。Nà bù diàn yǐng huà miàn xuè xīng, bù kān rù mù.That movie has bloody scenes that are unbearable to look at.
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