- 对不起 duìbuqǐ I'm sorryUsed to apologize to someone or to say excuse me
- 了不起 liǎobuqǐ amazingextraordinary; terrific; amazing
- 看不起 kànbuqǐ to look down onto despise; to scorn; to treat with contempt
- 买不起 mǎibuqǐ cannot affordTo be unable to afford to buy something.
- 经不起 jīngbuqǐ cannot standTo be unable to bear, withstand, or resist something. Same as [[禁不起|禁不起|jin1 bu5 qi3]].
- 不起眼 bùqǐyǎn unremarkableinconspicuous; not striking; not drawing attention or being given importance
- 瞧不起 qiáobuqǐ to look down on(colloquial) To look down upon; to hold in contempt; to treat as inferior. Same as [[看不起|看不起|kan4 bu5 qi3]].
- 惹不起 rěbuqǐ cannot afford to offendto be too formidable or difficult to deal with; to be unable to risk provoking or offending someone
- 受不起 shòubuqǐ to be unable to acceptTo feel one does not deserve something; to dare not accept a gift, favor, or compliment because it is too great.
- 负担不起 fùdānbùqǐ to be unable to affordto be unable to bear a burden, such as a cost, expense, or responsibility
- 一病不起 yībìngbùqǐ to fall gravely illto fall so seriously ill that one never recovers or eventually dies from the sickness
- 禁不起 jīnbuqǐ to be unable to endureto be unable to stand; to fail to withstand a test, hardship, or physical pressure
- 赔不起 péibuqǐ cannot afford to compensateTo be unable to pay for damages or make good on a loss; cannot afford to repay a debt.
- 担当不起 dāndāngbùqǐ to be unable to bearUnable to take on the responsibility; used to express that a burden or title is too heavy to carry
- 无风不起浪 wúfēngbùqǐlàng no smoke without fireliterally meaning "there are no waves without wind," this idiom is used to suggest that every rumor or event has an underlying cause or reason
- 当不起 dāngbuqǐ to not deserveTo be unable to bear a responsibility, honor, or praise; often used politely to say "I do not deserve this" or "you flatter me".
- 拿不起来 nábuqǐlai cannot pick upto be unable to lift or move something with one's hands
- 支付不起 zhīfùbùqǐ unaffordableto be unable to pay; too expensive to afford
- 无利不起早 wúlìbùqǐzǎo no profit no action(saying) people do not get up early unless there is a benefit to doing so; one will not lift a finger unless there is something in it for oneself
- 担不起 dānbuqǐ unable to bearTo be unable to shoulder a responsibility or be unequal to a task; to be unable to take responsibility for something
- 玩不起 wánbuqǐ cannot afford to loseCannot afford to play; also used figuratively to describe someone who cannot accept losing or who takes things too seriously in a game or social interaction.
- 用不起 yòngbuqǐ cannot afford to useto be unable to afford to use; too expensive to use
- 扶不起的阿斗 fúbuqǐde'ādǒu a hopeless casean inept and weak person who cannot be helped or supported no matter how much effort is put in; a milksop or weakling
- 想不起 xiǎngbuqǐ to be unable to rememberto be unable to remember or recall something
- 养不起 yǎngbuqǐ cannot afford to supportTo be unable to afford to raise or provide for children, family, or pets.
- 伤不起 shāngbùqǐ unbearable(internet slang) too fragile or delicate to handle further emotional pain; unbearable; just the pits
- 经不起推究 jīngbùqǐtuījiū cannot bear scrutinydoes not bear examination; cannot stand up to being looked into closely
- 见不起 jiànbuqǐ shamefulunfit to be seen or shown to others; disgraceful or embarrassing
- 不起眼儿 bùqǐyǎnr unremarkableinconspicuous or nothing out of the ordinary; not striking
- 不起劲 bùqǐjìn dispiritedto be lacking in enthusiasm; to be lackadaisical or dispirited; showing a lack of energy or interest
- 躲不起 duǒbuqǐ cannot avoidunable to escape or hide from something or someone unwanted; unavoidable
- 输不起 shūbuqǐ to be a sore loserTo take defeat with bad grace or lack sportsmanship (e.g. by complaining or acting out after losing)
- 马尾穿豆腐,提不起来 mǎwěichuāndòufutíbuqǐlai too weak to mentionLiterally "to string tofu on horsehair, it cannot be lifted"; used to mean someone or something is too weak to be worth supporting, or as a pun on [[提|提|ti2]] to mean a topic is not worth mentioning