Definition
买不起 is the resultative complement structure 买 + 不起, meaning 'cannot afford (to buy)'. The complement 不起 conveys that the cost is too high to bear. The affirmative form is 买得起 ('can afford'). This pattern also applies to other verbs: 看不起 ('look down on'), 对不起 ('let down').
r.v.
cannot afford (to buy)
Examples
- ，买不起。Zhè tào fángzi tài guì le, wǒ mǎi bú.This apartment is too expensive; I can't afford it.
- ，买不起。Tā yí gè yuè gōngzī nàme shǎo, gēnběn mǎi bú míngpái bāo.Her monthly salary is so low that she simply can't afford designer bags.
- ，买不起。Dāngnián wǒmen jiā qióng, lián yì běn zìdiǎn dōu mǎi bú.In those days my family was poor; we couldn't even afford a dictionary.
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