了不得

Chinese

		to know; to understand; (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) to know; to understand; (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (completed action marker)	not; no	get; obtain; gain get; obtain; gain; proper; suitable; proud; contented; allow; permit; ready; finished; a sentence particle used after a verb to show effect; degree or possibility; to have to; must; ought to; to need to
simp. and trad. (了不得)		了	不	得

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): liǎobùdé, liǎobùde

  (Zhuyin): ㄌㄧㄠˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄜˊ, ㄌㄧㄠˇ ㄅㄨˋ ˙ㄉㄜ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): liu⁵ bat¹ dak¹
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): liáu-put-tiak / liáu-put-tek

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: liǎobùdé
    • Zhuyin: ㄌㄧㄠˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄜˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: liǎobùdé
    • Wade–Giles: liao³-pu⁴-tê²
    • Yale: lyǎu-bù-dé
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: leaubuder
    • Palladius: ляобудэ (ljaobudɛ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /li̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ tɤ³⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: liǎobùde
    • Zhuyin: ㄌㄧㄠˇ ㄅㄨˋ ˙ㄉㄜ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: liǎobùde̊
    • Wade–Giles: liao³-pu⁴-tê⁵
    • Yale: lyǎu-bù-de
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: leaubu.de
    • Palladius: ляобудэ (ljaobudɛ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /li̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ d̥ə¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: liu⁵ bat¹ dak¹
    • Yale: líuh bāt dāk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: liu⁵ bat⁷ dak⁷
    • Guangdong Romanization: liu⁵ bed¹ deg¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /liːu̯¹³ pɐt̚⁵ tɐk̚⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: liáu-put-tiak
    • Tâi-lô: liáu-put-tiak
    • Phofsit Daibuun: liaw'putdiag
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /liau⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ put̚⁵⁻²⁴ tiak̚⁵/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: liáu-put-tek
    • Tâi-lô: liáu-put-tik
    • Phofsit Daibuun: liaw'putdeg
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /liau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ put̚³²⁻⁵ tiɪk̚³²/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /liau⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ put̚³²⁻⁴ tiɪk̚³²/
    • IPA (Taipei, Xiamen): /liau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ put̚³²⁻⁴ tiɪk̚³²/

Adjective

了不得

1. (colloquial) wonderful; terrific
2. (colloquial) serious; critical; severe

Synonyms

• (wonderful):

• 不得了 (bùdéliǎo) (colloquial)
• 了不起 (liǎobùqǐ) (colloquial)
• 了勿起 (Wu)
• 佼佼 (jiǎojiǎo) (literary)
• 俊偉／俊伟 (jùnwěi) (literary)
• 偉大／伟大 (wěidà)
• 傑出／杰出 (jiéchū)
• 傲人 (àorén) (nowadays especially of breasts, body curve)
• 優異／优异 (yōuyì)
• 優秀／优秀 (yōuxiù)
• 優越／优越 (yōuyuè)
• 出挑 (chhut-thio) (Quanzhou Hokkien)
• 出擢 (Hokkien)
• 出眾／出众 (chūzhòng)
• 出腳／出脚 (Hokkien)
• 出色 (chūsè)
• 勢面／势面 (Hokkien)
• 勿得了 (Wu)
• 卓然 (zhuórán) (literary)
• 卓犖／卓荦 (zhuóluò) (literary)
• 卓異／卓异 (zhuóyì) (literary)
• 卓著 (zhuózhù)
• 卓越 (zhuóyuè)
• 厲害／厉害 (lìhài) (informal)
• 咧斗 (Zhangzhou Hokkien)
• 咧斗 (Zhangzhou Hokkien)
• 好極了／好极了 (hǎo jíle)
• 尤異／尤异 (yóuyì) (literary)
• 崢嶸／峥嵘 (zhēngróng)
• 彰顯／彰显 (zhāngxiǎn)
• 惡實／恶实 (o⁵ shr⁶) (Xiang, used as a complement)
• 打得 (Hakka)
• 挺 (tǐng)
• 斐然 (fěirán)
• 棒 (bàng) (colloquial)
• 標青／标青 (biu¹ ceng¹) (Cantonese, Teochew)
• 漂亮
• 炳 (bǐng) (literary)
• 牛 (niú) (Mandarin, slang)
• 牛鬼 (Guilin Mandarin)
• 特出 (tèchū)
• 特異／特异 (tèyì)
• 犀利 (xīlì) (originally Cantonese, sometimes Mandarin)
• 皦皦 (jiǎojiǎo) (literary)
• 看家 (kānjiā) (attributive, of skill, ability, etc.)
• 穩／稳 (wěn) (slang, neologism)
• 突出 (tūchū)
• 英英 (yīngyīng) (literary)
• 蓋帽／盖帽 (gàimào) (slang)
• 表表 (biǎobiǎo) (literary)
• 超凡 (chāofán)
• 超卓 (chāozhuó) (literary)
• 超常 (chāocháng)
• 超拔 (chāobá) (literary)
• 超絕／超绝 (chāojué)
• 非凡 (fēifán)
• 響噹噹／响当当 (xiǎngdāngdāng)
• 顯著／显著 (xiǎnzhù)
• 高強／高强 (gāoqiáng)

 

• (serious):

• 不得了 (bùdéliǎo)
• 勿得了 (Wu)
• 嚴峻／严峻 (yánjùn)
• 嚴重／严重 (yánzhòng)
• 慘／惨 (cǎn) (of losses, defeats, etc.)
• 慘重／惨重 (cǎnzhòng)
• 深重 (shēnzhòng)
• 礙事／碍事 (àishì) (often in the negative)
• 腬身 (Zhangzhou Hokkien)
• 要緊／要紧 (yàojǐn)
• 重大

 

Adverb

了不得

1. (colloquial) extremely; awfully; terribly

   高興得了不得 [MSC, trad.]
   高兴得了不得 [MSC, simp.]

   gāoxìng de liǎobùdé [Pinyin]

   to be extremely happy

Usage notes

Used as a complement after 得 (dé).