不得了 (bùdéliǎo) — extremely, terribly (熱得不得了 unbearably hot); an awful situation, a big deal

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TSUMUGU · TOCFL A2 (est.) · 詞

不得了 word · TOCFL A2 (est.)

不得了＝不＋得＋了

ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄜˊ ㄌㄧㄠˇ · bùdéliǎo

phrase — extremely, terribly (熱得不得了 unbearably hot); an awful situation, a big deal

字源 FORM — what the parts do

不not (不要)bù

得to get, to be able (得到)dé

了to finish, to settle (here read liǎo, as in 了結)liǎo

不得了，不要的不，得到的得，了結的了。

事情大到「不」能「了」結，所以厲害得不得了。

So big it cannot (不) be finished (了) — the situation, or the heat, past all handling.