疲惫不堪
pí bèi bù kān
utterly exhausted; worn out
Character by character
疲pí
tired
tired
惫bèi
exhausted
exhausted
不bù
not
not
堪kān
bear
bear
Example
连着加了一个星期的班，大家都疲惫不堪。
After a whole week of overtime, everyone was utterly worn out.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
堪 means “bear”: tired beyond bearing. Stronger and more written than 很累, and also used of a team or an army worn down by a long effort. 不堪 after a two-syllable adjective makes other strong set phrases: 痛苦不堪, 拥挤不堪.
Learn this in Lesson 47 · HSK 5–6: 去医院看病 (Seeing a doctor)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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