不了

Chinese

		not; no	to know; to understand; (modal particle intensifying preceding clause) to know; to understand; (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (completed action marker)
simp. and trad. (不了)		不	了

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): bùliǎo

  (Zhuyin): ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧㄠˇ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): bu² niao³

• Cantonese (Jyutping): bat¹ liu⁵

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: bùliǎo
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧㄠˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: bùliǎo
    • Wade–Giles: pu⁴-liao³
    • Yale: bù-lyǎu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: buleau
    • Palladius: буляо (buljao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pu⁵¹ li̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: bu² niao³
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: buliao
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pu²¹ niau⁵³/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: bat¹ liu⁵
    • Yale: bāt líuh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: bat⁷ liu⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: bed¹ liu⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɐt̚⁵ liːu̯¹³/

Verb

不了

1. to be unfinished; to keep going on without end; to be unresolved

   不了了之  ―  bùliǎoliǎozhī  ―  to leave it unresolved

2. (as a complement) to be unable to

   忘不了  ―  wàng bùliǎo  ―  [I] cannot forget; unforgettable

3. (as a complement) to be unable to be finished

   吃不了  ―  chī bùliǎo  ―  [I] cannot eat up

   • 1958, “媽媽好”, 李雋青 (lyrics), performed by 蕭芳芳:

     投進媽媽的懷抱　幸福享不了 [MSC, trad.]
     投进妈妈的怀抱　幸福享不了 [MSC, simp.]

     tóu jìn māmā dì huáibào, xìngfú xiǎng bù liǎo [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

4. to be unclear; to not understand

Adverb

不了

1. (Sichuanese) not just; not only

   • 不了用三元錢，用了七元多 [Sichuanese, trad.]
     不了用三元钱，用了七元多 [Sichuanese, simp.]

     From: 成都方言詞典

     Bu² niao³ yong⁴ san¹ yuan² qian², yong⁴ no³ qi² yuan² do¹ [Sichuanese Pinyin]

     (I) did not just spend three yuan, but over seven yuan.

Phrase

不了

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, slang, neologism) thanks, but no thanks

Derived terms

• 下不了臺／下不了台
• 上不了臺面／上不了台面
• 不了之局
• 不了了之 (bùliǎoliǎozhī)
• 不了了當／不了了当
• 不了情
• 不了漢／不了汉
• 不了緣／不了缘
• 不了而了
• 免不了 (miǎnbùliǎo)
• 受不了 (shòubùliǎo)
• 吃不了
• 吃不了兜著走 (chī bùliǎo dōu zhe zǒu)
• 吃不了，兜著走 (chī bùliǎo dōu zhe zǒu)
• 大不了 (dàbùliǎo)
• 少不了 (shàobuliǎo)
• 待不了
• 拿不了
• 死不了
• 比不了
• 狗改不了吃屎 (gǒu gǎi bùliǎo chī shǐ)
• 短不了
• 算不了
• 老天隔不了一層紙／老天隔不了一层纸
• 說不了／说不了
• 走了和尚走不了廟／走了和尚走不了庙
• 跑不了
• 跑了和尚跑不了廟／跑了和尚跑不了庙
• 躲不了
• 道不了
• 遠水救不了近火／远水救不了近火 (yuǎnshuǐjiùbùliǎojìnhuǒ)
• 遠水解不了近渴／远水解不了近渴