要不得 (yào bu de) — no good; intolerable

Definition

Set-phrase verb meaning something is unacceptable or must not be allowed. Typically used in judgments, often with 真是 or 太…了, e.g. 真是要不得.

verb

no goodintolerable

要不得。
Zhè zhǒng làng fèi liáng shi de xíng wéi shí zài yào bu de.
This kind of food-wasting behavior is really intolerable.
，要不得。
Tā de tài dù tài huài le, zhēn shì yào bu de.
His attitude is too bad — it's really no good.
要不得。
Zhè xiē chǎn pǐn zhì liàng chà dé yào bu de.
The quality of these products is so poor it's intolerable.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

不得cannot

偏正Modifier + head

要 'want' and 不得 'cannot' combine to mean something not tolerable.

Characters in this word

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

要 began as a drawing of a person with both hands pointing to the waist.

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

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.