不起
bùqǐTraditional: 不起
#1077 of 5,000 Core 5000
Translation
cannot afford, unable to (verb complement)
Word origin
A compound of 不 (bù, not) and 起 (qǐ, to rise or manage), forming a potential complement that conveys being unable to do something, as in 买不起 (cannot afford) and 对不起 (sorry).
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 不 (bù, not) + 起 (qǐ, to rise, to manage)
Stroke order
不
起
Examples
辆。
I cannot afford this car.
，。
Sorry, I am late.
。
He is remarkable.
，。
It is so expensive that I cannot pay for it.
。
You should not look down on others.
不起 (bù qǐ) means cannot afford or be unable to, used as a verb complement. It attaches to verbs in set patterns like 买不起 and 对不起.
Used in
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Go to my review queueThis word is part of lesson 22.