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看不惯 (kàn bu guàn) — can't stand the sight of; to find something visually unacceptable or offensive; to disdain

Definition

看不惯 means 'can't stand' — you find a behavior, attitude, or habit unacceptable, usually with moral or emotional disapproval. Unlike 看不惯 vs 讨厌, the 看不惯 is about moral/values, while 讨厌 is just personal dislike.

verb
can't stand the sight ofto find something visually unacceptable or offensiveto disdain

Examples

  • ，看不惯。
    Tā nà zhǒng ào màn de tài dù, wǒ shí zài kàn bu guàn.
    I really can't stand his arrogant attitude.
  • 看不惯。
    Lǎo bǎn fēi cháng kàn bu guàn yuán gōng shàng bān chí dào.
    The boss really can't bear employees being late to work.
  • 看不惯。
    Wǒ kàn bu guàn tā zhè yàng làng fèi shí wù.
    I can't stand him wasting food like this.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

看kànsee
不惯not accustomed
不bùnot惯guànaccustomed
偏正Modifier + head

看 gives seeing, 不 gives not, and 惯 gives being accustomed, so the sense is cannot bear to see.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 看 puts 手 (hand) over 目 (eye), showing a hand placed above the eyes to gaze into the distance.

Open 看 →

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.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 慣; 惯 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
貫
貫guàn慣guàn
Same sound today

The traditional form 慣 shows 忄 (heart) beside 貫, which gives the sound; the simplified 惯 is a shorthand. Habit is what one does by heart.

Open 惯 →
Appears in
Attitudes & Opinions

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