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Chinese/Dictionary entry

不了

bù le

All readings
Source form: 不了
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
no thanks (used to politely but informally decline)
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-2081ab223b213e0d. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

不了 不了 [bu4 le5] /no thanks (used to politely but informally decline)/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

bù liǎo

All readings
Source form: 不了
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(as a resultative verb suffix) unable to (do sth) / (pattern: {verb} + 個|个[ge] + ~) without end / incessantly
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-f4d0b0da2ff2d39d. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

不了 不了 [bu4 liao3] /(as a resultative verb suffix) unable to (do sth)/(pattern: {verb} + 個|个[ge5] + ~) without end; incessantly/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 了
    le

    (completed action marker) / (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) / (modal particle intensifying preceding clause)

    liǎo

    to finish / (used with 得[dé] or 不[bù] after a verb to express (im)possibility, as in 忘不了[wàng bu liǎo] "cannot forget") / (literary) (usually followed by a negative such as 無|无[wú] or 不[bù]) completely (not) / entirely (not) / (not) in the least / (bound form) clear in one's mind / to understand clearly

    liào

    See the full entry for source details.

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.

Audio uses a Mandarin voice available on your device. For entries with several readings, the voice chooses the pronunciation.