Chinese word

巴不得

Pronunciation

Pinyinbā bu de

Meaning

  • adverbcan't wait for

Example

大家都巴不得节日快到。dà jiā dōu bā bu de jié rì kuài dào

Everyone can't wait for the holiday to come.

Illustration for 巴不得 (can't wait for)

More examples

他巴不得老板批准他的请假申请。tā bā bu de láo bǎn pī zhǔn tā de qǐng jià shēn qǐng

He can't wait for his boss to approve his leave request.

Core concept

Urgent longing pulls a desired event or action toward the present.

Common phrases

  • 巴不得你快来bā bu de nǐ kuài lái

    can't wait for you to come

  • 巴不得事情尽快结束bā bu de shì qíng jǐn kuài jié shù

    can't wait for things to end

  • 巴不得看到结果bā bu de kàn dào jié guǒ

    can't wait to see the result

Similar words

恨不得hèn bu de: Expresses an intense wish to do something or to have someone do it.
迫不及待pò bù jí dài: Shows such strong eagerness that waiting feels impossible and action should begin at once.
等不及děng bù jí: Expresses being unable to wait and wanting to act right away.

Definition in Chinese

用作副词，修饰动词或整个句子，表示对某事的迫切期待或希望某人立即做某事。yòng zuò fù cí xiū shì dòng cí huò zhěng gè jù zi biǎo shì duì mǒu shì de pò qiè qī dài huò xī wàng mǒu rén lì jí zuò mǒu shì

Word origin

巴不得 (bābùdé, "to long urgently") pairs 巴 (bā, "to hope for") with 不得 (bùdé, "not be able to"), presenting the wish as too strong for patience.

Usage tips

  • A wish for another person's immediate action can make this adverb sound forceful, although context also allows playful or affectionate uses.

Other meanings

  • long forverb

Opposites

  • 毫不关心háo bù guān xīnnot care at alladverb

Word lists with this word