靠得住／靠不住 kào de zhù／kào bu zhù
靠得住／靠不住（kào de zhù／kào bu zhù）means “to be reliable / unreliable, trustworthy / untrustworthy”. '靠得住' means a person or thing is reliable and can be counted on, while '靠不住' means unreliable or not to be trusted. Formation: V得住／V不住（住 读 zhù）
to be reliable / unreliable, trustworthy / untrustworthy
HSK6Formation
V得住／V不住（住 读 zhù）
Explanation
'靠得住' means a person or thing is reliable and can be counted on, while '靠不住' means unreliable or not to be trusted. Here 住 marks the result of holding firm. It describes the trustworthiness of people, information, or promises.
Examples
Note
住 reads zhù. Applies to people, info or promises: 消息靠不住 (the news is unreliable).
FAQ
靠得住／靠不住 — what does it mean and how is it used?
to be reliable / unreliable, trustworthy / untrustworthy. '靠得住' means a person or thing is reliable and can be counted on, while '靠不住' means unreliable or not to be trusted. Here 住 marks the result of holding firm. It describes the trustworthiness of people, information, or promises.
靠得住／靠不住 — how do you form it?
V得住／V不住（住 读 zhù）
靠得住／靠不住 — any usage notes?
住 reads zhù. Applies to people, info or promises: 消息靠不住 (the news is unreliable).