Meaning of 不得了
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- desperately serious
- disastrous
- extremely
- exceedingly
How to use 不得了
It works on its own as an exclamation of alarm, like 不得了了 (Oh no, this is serious). It also follows 得 after an adjective to mean "extremely": 他高兴得不得了。(Tā gāoxìng de bùdéliǎo.) He was extremely happy.
Think of 不得了 as 不 (not) + 得 (able) + 了 (liǎo, to finish or handle): something you are not able to handle. A situation you cannot handle is either a disaster or something extreme.
Common mistake: Learners often read 了 here as le, but in 不得了 it is liǎo, the same as in 了不起 (liǎobuqǐ). Also, when it means "extremely" it goes after the adjective with 得, not before it, so say 好得不得了, not 不得了好.
不得了 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
不 bù · no · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
得 dé · to obtain · 11 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
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- 11
了 le · completed action marker · 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
Related words
Words that share a character with 不得了.
| 觉得 | juéde | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint |
| 得到 | dédào | to get; to obtain; to receive |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 不用 | bùyòng | need not |
| 记得 | jìde | to remember |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently |
| 不对 | bùduì | incorrect; wrong |
| 不客气 | bù kèqì | you're welcome; don't mention it |
| 不要 | bùyào | don't!; must not |
| 不过 | bùguò | only; merely |
| 不错 | bùcuò | correct; right |
Questions about 不得了
What does 不得了 mean?
不得了 (bùdéliǎo) means "desperately serious; disastrous" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 不得了?
不得了 is made of 3 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 得 (11 strokes), 了 (2 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 不得了 an HSK word?
Yes. 不得了 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 不得了 and 了不起?
了不起 (liǎobuqǐ) means amazing or impressive and praises someone, as in 你真了不起. 不得了 usually signals that something is serious or extreme. It can describe a disaster or just a very high degree, and it is not mainly a compliment.
Is 不得了 the same as 得不得了?
得不得了 is not a separate word. It is the adjective + 得 + 不得了 pattern, as in 累得不得了 (exhausted). It is a common colloquial way to say "extremely," similar to 得要命 or 得很.