Chinese word

不堪

Pronunciation

Pinyinbù kān

Meaning

  • verbcan't stand

Example

我不堪忍受这种噪音，已经想搬家了。wǒ bù kān rěn shòu zhè zhǒng zào yīn yǐ jīng xiǎng bān jiā le

I can't stand this noise and already want to move.

Illustration for 不堪 (can't stand)

More examples

她听到噩耗后，情绪崩溃，连过去的欢乐都不堪回首。tā tīng dào è hào hòu qíng xù bēng kuì lián guò qù de huān lè dōu bù kān huí shǒu

After hearing the bad news, she broke down emotionally and couldn't even bear to look back on the joys of the past.

Core concept

Pressure pushes a person or situation past the point where it can continue to endure.

Common phrases

  • 不堪忍受bù kān rěn shòu

    can't stand

  • 不堪回首bù kān huí shǒu

    can't bear to look back on

Similar words

忍受rěn shòu: Tolerating pain, hardship, or difficult conditions for as long as possible.
受不了shòu bù liǎo: Finding something impossible to tolerate in casual spoken language.
承受chéng shòu: Enduring a burden, injury, loss, or other pressure from outside.
忍不住rěn bú zhù: Failing to control an urge, feeling, action, or response.

Definition in Chinese

不能承受，达到极限而无法再忍受或应付。bù néng chéng shòu dá dào jí xiàn ér wú fǎ zài rěn shòu huò yìng fù

Word origin

不 (bù, "not") + 堪 (kān, "endure") combines negation with the ability to bear, marking something beyond a person's capacity to tolerate.

Usage tips

  • The subject usually names the person or situation whose ability to cope has reached its limit, while the rest of the sentence identifies what tests that ability.

Other meanings

  • unbearableadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 不堪一击bù kān yì jīunable to withstand a single blowidiom
  • 不堪回首bù kān huí shǒucan't bear to look back onidiom

Word lists with this word