禁不起 (jīn bù qǐ) — cannot bear, cannot endure, cannot afford (to withstand negative consequences)

Definition

禁不起 means 'cannot bear / cannot withstand' a negative pressure or temptation — it always appears with something bad happening to the subject. Contrast with 经得起 ('can withstand'), its positive counterpart.

verb
cannot bearcannot endurecannot afford (to withstand negative consequences)

Examples

  • 禁不起。
    Tā jīn bù qǐ zhè zhǒng tòng kǔ de kǎo yàn.
    He cannot bear this painful test.
  • 禁不起。
    Tā de shēn tǐ jīn bù qǐ cháng tú lǚ xíng.
    Her body cannot withstand long-distance travel.
  • 禁不起。
    Gōng sī jīn bù qǐ zhè me dà de sǔn shī.
    The company cannot afford such a big loss.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

禁jìnbear/endure
不起not stand
不bùnot起qǐrise/stand
偏正Modifier + head

“禁” gives the idea of bearing, “不” says not, and “起” gives the idea of standing or holding out, so the whole word means unable to bear.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
示示shìaltar
Sound part声符shēngfú
林
林lín禁jìn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

禁 has 林 above 示, an altar. The 林 part gives the sound, and the altar part connects the character to taboo or restricted matters.

Open 禁 →

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
走走zǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
巳
巳sì起qǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

起 is made from 走 and 巳: 走 is the part connected with walking or running, and 巳 gives the sound.

Open 起 →

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