恨不得

hèn bu dé

HSK 2.0 Level 6 Uncommon

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This word has multiple dictionary entries. Choose the reading or usage you want to review.

恨不得

hèn bu de Verb wishing one could do sth; to hate to be unable; itching to do sth

恨不得

hèn bu dé wishing one could do sth; to hate to be unable

Definitions

1. wishing one could do sth
2. to hate to be unable
3. itching to do sth
4. can't wait for
5. to wish one could do sth
6. to desire strongly

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Word relationships

Register variants

1 item

巴不得

bā bù dé

to be eager for

巴不得 is more colloquial, while 恨不得 can be used in both spoken and written Chinese.

Related words

2 items

怨不得

yuàn bu de

cannot blame

怨不得 means 'cannot blame', contrasting with 恨不得's meaning of 'wishing one could'.

难怪

nán guài

(it's) no wonder (that...)

Related to strong feelings; 难怪 means 'no wonder', often used when realizing a reason.

Synonyms

1 item

巴不得

bā bù dé

to be eager for

Both express a strong wish to do something, but 恨不得 is often used for impossible or exaggerated wishes.

Usage notes

Collocations

恨不得 is typically followed by a verb phrase expressing the desired action; it cannot be followed by a noun.

Common mistakes

Do not use 恨不得 for positive or realistic wishes; use 巴不得 for things you actually hope will happen.

Example Sentences

1 shown

她恨不得马上飞到北京去。

She wishes she could fly to Beijing right away.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 恨不得

no; not so

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

to hate

must not

恨不得