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HSK 7–9

巴不得 (bā bù dé) vs 恨不得 (hèn bù dé) — strong wishes

Subj. + 巴不得 (bābude) / 恨不得 (hènbude) + Verb

HSK 7–93.0

Pattern diagram

Who / what巴不得恨不得Action

Rule structure

巴不得 (bābude) expresses a strong wish for something to happen; what is wished for is usually realistic. 恨不得 (hènbude) expresses an extreme desire, often for something impossible or exaggerated. Both take a verbal complement.

Examples

我巴不得现在就回家。

Wǒ bābude xiànzài jiù huí jiā.

I’m longing to go home right now.

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Words from this rule

巴不得

bā bu dé

To be eager to, to long for, can't wait

恨不得

hèn bu de

To wish one could; to be dying to

我

wǒ

I, me

现在

xiànzài

Now

就

jiù

Immediately, exactly, then, and... (adverb)

回

huí

To return

家

jiā

Family, home; measure word for businesses and establishments

他

tā

He

早

zǎo

Early

点

diǎn

A little, drop; hour, o'clock

放假

fàng jià

To have a holiday, to be on vacation

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “strong wishes” in Chinese with 巴不得 vs 恨不得?

Use the structure: Subj. + 巴不得 (bābude) / 恨不得 (hènbude) + Verb. For example: 我巴不得现在就回家。 — “I’m longing to go home right now”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

我巴不得现在就回家。 — “I’m longing to go home right now”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 3.0 Levels 7–9.

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More HSK 3.0 Levels 7–9 grammar rules

犯不着 vs 犯得着 — worth doing or not

Subject + 犯不着 (fànbuzháo) + Verb; Action/Context + 犯得着 (fàndezháo) + 吗 (ma)?

可 — evaluative judgment

Subj. + 可谓 (kěwèi) + Adj. / Noun

可否 — formal “could you…” request

可否 (kěfǒu) + Verb

免不了 — inevitable, unavoidable

Subj. + 免不了 (miǎnbuliǎo) + Verb / Adj.

向来 — always previously

Subj. + 向来 (xiànglái) + Verb / Adj.

偏 — contrary to expectations

Subj. + 偏偏 (piānpiān) + Verb (undesirable coincidence)

无非 — nothing but

无非 (wúfēi) + Noun / Clause (dismissive)

何必 — why bother

何必 (hébì) + Verb Phrase (rhetorical, unnecessary)