不堪设想

不堪設想
bùkānshèxiǎng
idiom #24,555

Meanings

  1. 1 too horrible to contemplate
  2. 2 the consequences would be unthinkable
  3. 3 it doesn't bear thinking about

Examples

Rúguǒ nà cì shìgù fāshēng zài shìqū, hòuguǒ bùkānshèxiǎng.
If that accident had happened downtown, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Hé xièlòu shìjiàn de yǐngxiǎng bùkānshèxiǎng.
The impact of a nuclear leak doesn't bear thinking about.

Tips

usage
不堪设想 is typically used to describe potential disasters or catastrophic consequences that are so terrible one cannot even imagine them. It nearly always refers to something that has not yet happened — a warning about possible outcomes.

Stroke Order

kān
shè
xiǎng