Definition
了不得 (written pronunciation: liǎo bù dé in standard Chinese; the input pinyin 'le' is likely an error) is a stative verb with opposite meanings depending on context: it can mean 'terrific' and 'extraordinary' in a positive sense, or 'terrible' and 'awful' in a negative sense. It is also commonly used as a complement after adjectives or verbs with 得 (de) to indicate an extreme degree, e.g., 高兴得∼ (extremely happy). The tone of the sentence determines which sense is intended, so always check the surrounding words.
s.v.
(stative verb) terrificextraordinaryexceptionally good(stative verb) terribleawfulextremely bad(used as a complement after adjectives or verbs) extremelyto an extreme degree
Examples
- 了不得,。Tā zhēn le, ná le dì yí míng.He is really extraordinary; he got first place.
- 了不得,。Zhè jiàn shì tài le le, wǒmen dōu hěn dānxīn.This matter is too terrible; we are all very worried.
- 。Tā gāoxìng de le.He is extremely happy.
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