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受不了 (shòu bu liǎo) — can't stand, can't bear, unable to endure

Definition

受不了 is a colloquial ‘can't stand / can't bear’ focused on personal endurance (noise, stress, behavior). Less literary than 不堪, which is written/very formal.

verb
can't standcan't bearunable to endure

Examples

  • 受不了。
    Wǒ shòu bu liǎo zhè ge shēng yīn.
    I can't stand this noise.
  • 受不了。
    Tā shòu bu liǎo měi tiān de jiā bān.
    She can't stand the daily overtime.
  • 受不了？
    Nǐ shòu bu liǎo tā zhè yàng shuō huà ma?
    Can you stand him talking like this?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

受shòuendure
不了cannot finish
不bùnot了liǎofinish
偏正Modifier + head

受 as endure joins 不了 as cannot finish to mean cannot endure.

Characters in this word

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

受 possibly combines 爪 and 又 as hands with 舟 as a boat, to show handing something over.

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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.

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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 →
Appears in
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