看不得 vs 看不懂: what is the difference?
看不得 is about whether it is proper or safe to look. 看不懂 is about ability, "cannot understand". Only the second needs a result word after 不.
| Word | Pinyin | What it does | Structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 看不得 | kàn bù dé | Verb + 不得 says something must not be done, because it is harmful or improper. | Verb + 不得 |
| 看不懂 | kàn bù dǒng | Says you cannot understand what you read, which is about ability and not about what is proper. | 看 + 不 + 懂 |
看不得 (kàn bù dé)
Verb + 不得 says something must not be done, because it is harmful or improper.
Structure: Verb + 不得
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这种电影小孩子看不得。 | Zhè zhǒng diàn yǐng xiǎo hái zi kàn bù dé. | Children must not watch this kind of film. |
| 别人的日记看不得。 | Bié rén de rì jì kàn bù dé. | You must not read other people's diaries. |
| 太阳太亮，直接用眼睛看不得。 | Tài yang tài liàng, zhí jiē yòng yǎn jing kàn bù dé. | The sun is too bright to look at directly. |
Not: 我的汉语不好，看不得中文报纸。 Being unable to understand is 看不懂: 我的汉语不好，看不懂中文报纸。
看不懂 (kàn bù dǒng)
Says you cannot understand what you read, which is about ability and not about what is proper.
Structure: 看 + 不 + 懂
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这个标志我看不懂。 | Zhè ge biāo zhì wǒ kàn bù dǒng. | I cannot understand this sign. |
| 这本书是用法语写的，我看不懂。 | Zhè běn shū shì yòng fǎ yǔ xiě de, wǒ kàn bù dǒng. | This book is written in French, I cannot read it. |
| 她的意思我看不懂。 | Tā de yì si wǒ kàn bù dǒng. | I cannot work out what she means. |
Not: 我看得不懂这本书。 In the negative put 不 straight between the verb and the result: 我看不懂这本书。
Where this comes from
The comparison is part of Potential Complements: V+得/不得 (HSK 5) in the grammar reference, which has the full explanation, more worked examples, and what to learn before and after it.
More pairs: 看不懂 vs 没看懂 · 从而 vs 因此 · 从…来看 vs 在…看来 · 大都 vs 都 · 跟…相比 vs 跟…一样 · 过于 vs 太 · 累坏了 vs 累得不得了 · 凭 vs 依据 · 起来 vs 下去 · 仍旧 vs 依旧 · 为了 vs 为的是 · 有 vs 有着 · all 81 pairs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between 看不得 and 看不懂?
看不得 is about whether it is proper or safe to look. 看不懂 is about ability, "cannot understand". Only the second needs a result word after 不.
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