不好惹

bùhǎorě

phrase #20,522

Meanings

1 not to be trifled with
2 not to be pushed around
3 tough character
4 someone you don't want to mess with

Characters

to provoke / to invite (trouble)

Examples

她看起来温柔，但其实不好惹。

Tā kàn qǐlái wēnróu, dàn qíshí bùhǎorě.

She looks gentle, but she is actually not someone to be trifled with.

那帮人不好惹，最好别招惹他们。

Nà bāng rén bùhǎorě, zuìhǎo bié zhāorě tāmen.

Those people are tough characters — it is best not to provoke them.

Tips

usage

不好惹 literally means 'not easy to provoke.' 惹 (rě) means to provoke or stir up trouble. The phrase describes someone formidable or dangerous to cross, and is very common in colloquial speech.

Stroke Order

不 bù

好 hǎo

惹 rě