How to Say “Terribly / Extremely” with 得不得了 (de bùdéliǎo)
得不得了 (de bùdéliǎo) is a degree complement that pushes an adjective or a feeling verb to the extreme: Adjective + 得不得了 = “extremely / terribly / incredibly.” 甜得不得了 (“incredibly sweet”), 忙得不得了 (“crazy busy”), 高兴得不得了 (“over the moon”). On its own 不得了 means “terrible,” but as a complement it simply maxes the degree, and it works for good things as happily as bad ones. It’s colloquial and emphatic, stronger than 很 or 非常.
Why this trips learners up
得不得了 (de bùdéliǎo) is one of the most emphatic ways to say “extremely,” “terribly,” “incredibly” in spoken Chinese. The shape is simple: Adjective (or feeling verb) + 得不得了. 这个西瓜甜得不得了 (“this watermelon is incredibly sweet”), 我最近忙得不得了 (“I’ve been crazy busy lately”), 他紧张得不得了 (“he’s a nervous wreck”).
Here’s the piece that trips people up. 不得了 on its own means “terrible,” “a big deal,” “oh no” (不得了，出大事了！). But once it rides on 得 as a complement, it stops meaning “terrible” and simply cranks the degree to the ceiling. English does the exact same thing: “I’m terribly happy,” “that’s awfully nice of you,” a word that sounds negative doing pure positive emphasis. So 得不得了 is polarity-neutral: 高兴得不得了 (“over the moon”) and 难过得不得了 (“devastated”) are equally natural.
Two things to lock in. First, you need the 得. It’s the structural bridge that lets 不得了 attach to the adjective; 累不得了 is wrong, it has to be 累得不得了. Second, 得不得了 already maxes the degree, so don’t stack another intensifier in front of the adjective: it’s 忙得不得了, never 很忙得不得了 or 非常忙得不得了. One booster, and you’re done. It follows both plain adjectives (冷得不得了) and psychological verbs (喜欢得不得了, 羡慕得不得了) happily.
Watch the lookalike. 得不得了 shares its 不 and 得 with 不得不 (bùdébù), but they’re unrelated. 不得不 is a double negative meaning “have no choice but to,” and it sits before a verb (不得不加班, “have to work overtime”). 得不得了 trails an adjective and rates its degree; 不得不 leads a verb and says you’re forced into it. The Compare and Contrast below sets them side by side.
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
Examples in context
Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.
Tap a word to see its grammatical role.
zhège xīguā 这个西瓜 Subject tián 甜 Adjective de bùdéliǎo 得不得了 Pattern
This watermelon is incredibly sweet (甜 + 得不得了, a positive adjective).
wàimiàn 外面 Place rè 热 Adjective de bùdéliǎo 得不得了 Pattern háishì ，还是 Adverb dāi zài jiā lǐ ba 待在家里吧 Verb
It’s blazing hot outside, better stay home (热得不得了, a negative adjective).
háizimen 孩子们 Subject kàndào xuě 看到雪 Verb xīngfèn ，兴奋 Adjective de bùdéliǎo 得不得了 Pattern
The kids were beside themselves when they saw the snow (兴奋 + 得不得了, a feeling verb, positive).
kǎoshì qián yì tiān 考试前一天 Time tā 他 Subject jǐnzhāng 紧张 Adjective de bùdéliǎo 得不得了 Pattern
The day before the exam, he was a nervous wreck (紧张得不得了).
kàn wán nà bù diànyǐng 看完那部电影 Time wǒ 我 Subject gǎndòng 感动 Adjective de bùdéliǎo 得不得了 Pattern
After that film, I was moved beyond words (感动得不得了, a feeling verb, positive).
zhōumò de shāngchǎng 周末的商场 Subject jǐ 挤 Adjective de bùdéliǎo 得不得了 Pattern
The mall is unbelievably packed on weekends (挤得不得了).
tīngshuō tā zhòng le dàjiǎng 听说他中了大奖 Time tóngshìmen ，同事们 Subject xiànmù 羡慕 Adjective de bùdéliǎo 得不得了 Pattern
Word got out that he’d won the jackpot, and his coworkers were green with envy (羡慕得不得了).
fángjiān 房间 Subject luàn 乱 Adjective de bùdéliǎo 得不得了 Pattern wǒ ，我 Subject huā le yí gè xiàwǔ 花了一个下午 Verb cái 才 Adverb shōushí hǎo 收拾好 Verb
The room was such a mess it took me all afternoon to tidy it up (乱得不得了, with a follow-on clause).
Common mistakes
Why it happens: 得不得了 needs the 得, the bridge that lets 不得了 hang off the adjective. It’s 累得不得了 (“shattered”), never 累不得了. Drop the 得 and the sentence falls apart.
Why it happens: 得不得了 already pushes the degree to the max, so don’t add a second intensifier in front: 忙得不得了, not 很忙得不得了 or 非常忙得不得了. One booster is enough.
Why it happens: The tail is 不得了 (bùdéliǎo, “to no end”), not the lookalike 不得不 (bùdébù, “have no choice but to”). For “extremely sleepy” it’s 困得不得了; 困得不得不 mixes in the wrong idiom.
Compare & contrast
| 得不得了 = “extremely” (a degree, trails an adjective) | 不得不 = “have no choice but to” (a modal, leads a verb) | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 忙得不得了máng de bùdéliǎo = “incredibly busy” (a degree) | 不得不加班bùdébù jiābān = “have to work overtime” (no choice) | 忙得不得了 rates how busy you are (“incredibly busy”). 不得不加班 says you’re forced to work overtime (“no choice”). One measures a degree, the other states a compulsion. |
| 高兴得不得了gāoxìng de bùdéliǎo = “over the moon” (a degree) | 不得不同意bùdébù tóngyì = “forced to agree” (no choice) | 高兴得不得了 is “over the moon,” a feeling turned up to the max. 不得不同意 is “forced to agree,” backed into it. Same 不 and 得, opposite jobs. |
Try it yourself
Say “I’m exhausted today.” Adjective first, then 得不得了: 我今天累得不得了。
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Say “Terribly / Extremely” with 得不得了 (de bùdéliǎo) grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.