Definition
靠不住 is the negative form of the potential complement phrase 靠得住 ('can be relied on'). It means 'unreliable' or 'not dependable', used to describe people, machines, promises, or anything that fails to live up to trust. The structure is 靠 + 不 + 住, where 住 indicates the result of 'holding steady'. You can also use it as a stative verb predicate with 是……的.
s.v.
unreliableundependablenot to be trusted
Examples
- ，靠不住。Zhège rén shuō dàhuà, kào bu zhù de.This person talks big — he's unreliable.
- ，靠不住。Nà tái jiù diànnǎo lǎo shì sǐjī, shízài kào bu zhù.That old computer keeps crashing — it's really undependable.
- 靠不住，。Tā de chéngnuò cónglái dōu kào bu zhù, bié dàngzhēn.His promises have never been reliable — don't take them seriously.
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