不得了
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Definitions
- 1. desperately serious
- 2. disastrous
- 3. extremely
- 4. exceedingly
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Word relationships
Usage notes
Collocations
不得了 is often used with 得 in complements like 高兴得不得了 (extremely happy), and after 了 as in 不得了了 to mean 'something serious has happened'.
Common mistakes
不得了 cannot be directly placed before nouns; for example, use 重要的事情 (important matter) instead of 不得了的事 (incorrect structure).
Grammar
Guides that feature 不得了
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Put 得要命 or 得要死 after an adjective or feeling verb to exaggerate, like “to death” or “terribly” in English: 累得要命, 热得要死.
Use adjective + 得不得了 for “extremely,” 真不得了 for “amazing,” and 不得了了 as an alarmed “Oh no!”
Use degree complements like 得不得了, 得多, and 得要命 without overusing 很.
Example Sentences
1 shown他高兴得 不得了 。
AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.
Child Words of 不得了
no; not so
(completed action marker)
to obtain
structural particle: used after a verb (or adjective as main verb), linking it to following phrase indicating effect, degree, possibility etc
to have to
all right!
(emphatically, in rhetorical questions) possible
(of eyes) bright
must not