买不起

• Pinyin: mǎi bu qǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 买 = 乙 + 贝 (shell/money) — buying with money; 不 = negation marker; 起 = 走 (walk) + 己 (self) — to rise, to afford

Meaning

Cannot afford; unable to buy due to financial constraints. A potential complement construction indicating the price is beyond one's means.

Formed from V + 不 + 起 (potential complement of ability/affordability). Commonly used in everyday conversation about housing, luxury goods, or any item deemed too expensive. Carries a tone of resignation or frustration.

Examples

1. 面对居高不下的房价，很多年轻人坦言在大城市根本买不起房，只能选择租住。 With housing prices staying so high, many young people admit they simply can’t afford to buy a home in a big city and can only rent.
2. 那款限量版球鞋标价两万多，普通工薪族根本买不起，只能看看热闹。 Those limited-edition sneakers are priced at over 20,000 yuan—ordinary salaried workers can’t afford them and can only look on.
3. 她喜欢那件设计师品牌外套，但一看价签就知道以自己现在的收入买不起。 She liked that designer-brand coat, but the moment she saw the price tag, she knew she couldn’t afford it on her current income.

Usage Guide

Context: finance, daily life, housing, consumer goods

Tone: resigned

Do Say

• 在当前经济压力下，许多刚毕业的年轻人即使双职工也买不起一线城市的商品房，不得不将购房计划推迟五到十年。(Under current economic pressures, many newly graduated young people, even as dual-income households, cannot afford commercial housing in first-tier cities and are forced to postpone their homebuying plans by five to ten years.)
• 她很喜欢那套家具，但考虑到当前的财务状况实在买不起，只好先拍下照片留作将来参考。(She really liked that set of furniture, but given her current financial situation she simply could not afford it, so she took a photo to keep for future reference.)

Don't Say

• 将买不起与负担不起混用而不区分语体 — 买不起 is conversational and direct; in formal writing use 无力承担该费用 or 经济条件不允许 instead

Origin & History

买 (to buy) + 不 (unable/negation) + 起 (potential complement of affordability — to rise to the financial level required) — cannot afford to buy

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal