买得起／买不起 mǎi de qǐ／mǎi bu qǐ

买得起／买不起（mǎi de qǐ／mǎi bu qǐ）means “can / cannot afford (to buy) something”. '买得起' means you can afford something financially, while '买不起' means you cannot. Formation: 买得起／买不起（V得/不+起，固定短语）

can / cannot afford (to buy) something

HSK4

Formation

买得起／买不起（V得/不+起，固定短语）

Explanation

'买得起' means you can afford something financially, while '买不起' means you cannot. The pattern is 买 + 得/不 + 起, where 起 marks the ability to bear the cost. It is used specifically about being able to afford a purchase.

Examples

这个我买不起。
zhè ge wǒ mǎi bu qǐ
I can't afford this.
现在我买得起房子了。
xiàn zài wǒ mǎi de qǐ fáng zi le
Now I can afford a house.

Note

The middle 得 is neutral tone (de), not dé. ❌ 我不买起 ✅ 我买不起

FAQ

买得起／买不起 — what does it mean and how is it used?

can / cannot afford (to buy) something. '买得起' means you can afford something financially, while '买不起' means you cannot. The pattern is 买 + 得/不 + 起, where 起 marks the ability to bear the cost. It is used specifically about being able to afford a purchase.

买得起／买不起 — how do you form it?

买得起／买不起（V得/不+起，固定短语）

买得起／买不起 — any usage notes?

The middle 得 is neutral tone (de), not dé. ❌ 我不买起 ✅ 我买不起

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