巴不得

bābudé

verb HSK 7 #13,605

Meanings

1 to eagerly wish for; to be dying to; can't wait to

Characters

to cling to; to hope for

to obtain; to get

Literally 'clinging but unable to get' — the feeling of desperately wanting something. The desire is so strong that not getting it is painful.

Examples

他巴不得马上放假。

Tā bābudé mǎshàng fàngjià.

He can't wait for the vacation to start right now.

她巴不得早点离开这个地方。

Tā bābudé zǎo diǎn líkāi zhège dìfang.

She's dying to leave this place as soon as possible.

Tips

grammar

巴不得 is always followed by a verb phrase describing what you wish would happen. It's colloquial and carries strong emotion — often impatience or desperation. 恨不得 (hènbudé) is similar but stronger, implying frustration that something is impossible.

Stroke Order

巴 bā

不 bù

得 dé