惹不起 (rě bú) — cannot afford to offend; too tough to handle
Definition
A colloquial verb phrase (from 惹 'provoke' + negative result complement) meaning someone is too dangerous, powerful, or fierce to provoke. It describes a person, animal, or force you wisely avoid crossing.
verb
cannot afford to offendtoo tough to handle
Examples
- ，惹不起。Nà ge rén shì hēi bāng lǎo dà, wǒ men rě bú.That person is a gang leader; we can't afford to offend him.
- 惹不起，。Nà zhī lǎo hǔ rě bú, lián liè rén dōu pà tā.That tiger is too tough to handle; even hunters are afraid of it.
- ，惹不起。Tā yǐ wéi xīn tóng shì hǎo qī fu, méi xiǎng dào duì fāng rě bú.He thought the new colleague was easy to bully, but didn't expect the other person was too tough to handle.
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