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了得 (liǎo dé) — outrageous, terrible (used in exclamations of disapproval or shock); extraordinary, remarkable (used to praise someone's ability or achievement)

Definition

Used only in exclamations after 还 or 真是 — 'How outrageous!' (disapproval) or 'Truly remarkable!' (praise). It is a fixed exclamation, not an ordinary adjective, and never stands alone or modifies a noun.

adjective
outrageousterrible (used in exclamations of disapproval or shock)extraordinaryremarkable (used to praise someone's ability or achievement)

Examples

  • ，了得！
    Nǐ jìng rán gǎn dǎ lǎo shī, zhè hái liǎo dé!
    You actually dared to hit the teacher? That's outrageous!
  • ，了得！
    Tā yí gè rén wán chéng le sān gè rén de gōng zuò, zhēn shì liǎo dé!
    He finished the work of three people all by himself — truly extraordinary!
  • ，了得？
    Zhè diǎn xiǎo shì dōu zuò bù hǎo, hái liǎo dé?
    You can't even handle this little thing? How outrageous!

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

了liǎoaccomplish
得déobtain

了 (accomplish) and 得 (obtain) suggest something beyond ordinary ability or situation, so 了得 can mean extraordinary or terrible.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

了 was once drawn to show a baby with no arms; some old comments say it showed crossed or tangled legs.

Open 了 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The old form 㝵 showed a hand picking up a cowry, meaning to obtain; later changes turned that picture into 得.

Open 得 →
Appears in
Good & Bad

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