买不起 (mǎi bú) — cannot afford (to buy)
Definition
买不起 (mǎi bu qǐ) is a result complement of 买 ('buy'): the 不 negates and 起 marks that the purchase is beyond one's means. Used for prices the speaker cannot pay.
verb
cannot afford (to buy)
Examples
- ,买不起。Zhè tào fáng zi tài guì le, wǒ mǎi bú.This apartment is too expensive; I can't afford it.
- ,买不起。Tā yí gè yuè gōng zī nà me shǎo, gēn běn mǎi bú míng pái bāo.Her monthly salary is so low that she simply can't afford designer bags.
- ,买不起。Dāng nián wǒ men jiā qióng, lián yì běn zì diǎn dōu mǎi bú.In those days my family was poor; we couldn't even afford a dictionary.
Appears in
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