Chinese word

买不起

Pronunciation

Pinyinmǎi bù qǐ

Meaning

  • verbcan't afford

Example

现在我买不起新手机。xiàn zài wǒ mǎi bù qǐ xīn shǒu jī

I can't afford a new phone right now.

Illustration for 买不起 (can't afford)

More examples

物价上涨，很多人买不起日常用品。wù jià shàng zhǎng hěn duō rén mǎi bù qǐ rì cháng yòng pǐn

As prices rise, many people can't afford daily necessities.

Core concept

A desired purchase sits above the buyer's spending limit.

Common phrases

  • 买不起新手机mǎi bù qǐ xīn shǒu jī

    can't afford a new phone

  • 买不起那辆车mǎi bù qǐ nà liàng chē

    can't afford that car

  • 买不起贵重物品mǎi bù qǐ guì zhòng wù pǐn

    can't afford expensive items

Similar words

负担不起fù dān bù qǐ: Cannot take on the cost of something because it is beyond one's financial means.
支付不起zhī fù bù qǐ: Cannot pay the required amount because the needed money or payment means is unavailable.
买不了mǎi bù liǎo: Cannot buy something because a practical obstacle prevents the purchase.

Definition in Chinese

没有足够的钱购买某物，负担不起其价格。méi yǒu zú gòu de qián gòu mǎi mǒu wù fù dān bù qǐ qí jià gé

Word origin

买 (mǎi, "buy") combines with 不 (bù, "not") and 起 (qǐ, "rise"), whose complement use adds the idea of being unable to bear the cost.

Usage tips

  • The phrase commonly appears with products, prices, or brands, making it a useful compact way to explain why an expensive choice is not made.

Other meanings

  • can't buyverb
  • can't payverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 买入mǎi rùpurchaseverb
  • 买断mǎi duànbuy outrightverb
  • 买家mǎi jiābuyernoun

Word lists with this word