resultative suffixes with special meanings or properties
32.5
住得起 zhùdeqǐ ‘to be able to afford to live someplace’
住不起 zhùbuqǐ ‘to be unable to afford to live someplace’
Q: 现在北京房子那么贵，你们住得起住不起？
現在北京房子那麼貴，你們住得起住不起？
Xiànzài Běijīng fángzi nàme guì, nǐmen zhùdeqǐ zhùbuqǐ?
Houses in Beijing are so expensive now, can you afford to live there?
A: 我们住得起，可是我们的孩子住不起。
我們住得起，可是我們的孩子住不起。
Wǒmen zhùdeqǐ, kěshì wǒmen de háizi zhùbuqǐ.
We can afford to live there, but our children cannot afford to live there.- 得起 deqǐ and -不起 buqǐ also have idiomatic meanings when suffixed to certain verbs.
看得起 kàndeqǐ ‘to have a good opinion of, think highly of ’
看不起 kànbuqǐ ‘to look down on, despise’
你不应该看不起没有钱的人。
你不應該看不起沒有錢的人。
Nǐ bù yīnggāi kànbuqǐ méi yǒu qián de rén.
You should not look down on people who have no money.对得起/對得起 duìdeqǐ ‘to show respect to someone’
对不起/對不起 duìbuqǐ ‘to disappoint someone, cause someone to be embarrassed or lose face’
Q: 你不好好地念书对得起对不起你的父母？
你不好好地唸書對得起對不起你的父母？
Nǐ bù hǎohāo de niàn shū duìdeqǐ duìbuqǐ nǐ de fùmǔ?
If you do not study hard, how can you face your parents?
A: 我一定要好好地念书才能对得起他们。
我一定要好好地唸書才能對得起他們。
Wǒ yīdìng yào hǎohāo de niànshū cái néng duìdeqǐ tāmen.
I certainly want to study hard so that I can make them happy.- 上 shàng
上 shàng has a special meaning when used in the resultative verb 考上 kǎoshàng ‘to pass
an entrance exam’ (especially a university entrance exam). The potential forms are:
考得上 kǎodeshàng ‘to be able to pass the entrance exam’
考不上 kǎobushàng ‘to be unable to pass the entrance exam’
Q: 你想我今年考得上考不上北大？
Nǐ xiǎng wǒ jīnnián kǎodeshàng kǎobushàng Běi Dà?
Do you think I will be able to pass the entrance exam for Beijing University this year?
A: 我想你一定考得上。
Wǒ xiǎng nǐ yīdìng kǎodeshàng.
I think you will certainly pass the exam.- 不定 budìng
- 不定 budìng has a restricted use as a resultative verb ending:
说不定/說不定 shuōbudìng ‘perhaps’
他现在还没来，说不定他不会来了。
他現在還沒來，說不定他不會來了。
Tā xiànzài hái méi lái, shuōbudìng tā bù huì lái le.
He hasn’t come yet. Perhaps he won’t come.C18.6, 18.7