▎起, qĭ, (Ptc), as Verb Complement, to be able to afford (1)

 

Function 起 is a verb complement, with the meaning ‘to (have enough money to) afford doing something’.

1 公寓太貴，我當然買不起。

Gōngyù tài guì, wǒ dāngrán mǎibùqǐ.

Apartments are too expensive. Obviously, I cannot afford to buy one.

2 雖然套房不太便宜，但是我租得起。

Suīrán tàofáng bú tài piányí, dànshì wǒ zūdéqǐ.

Although the rent for a suite (i.e., a room with a bath) is not cheap, I can still afford one.

3 誰都吃得起臺灣小吃。

Shéi dōu chīdeqǐ Táiwān xiǎochī.

Anyone can afford eating Taiwanese delicacies.

 

Structures 起 can only be used in the potential pattern, i.e., V＋得＋起, V＋不＋起; ＊買起＊mǎi qǐ, ＊沒買起＊méi mǎi qǐ.

Negation：

1 我是學生，付不起一個月兩萬塊的房租。

Wǒ shì xuéshēng, fùbùqǐ yí ge yuè liǎngwàn kuài de fángzū.

I’m a student. I can’t afford NT$20,000 a month for rent.

2 雖然我開始工作了，但是還買不起台北市區的房子。

Suīrán wǒ kāishǐ gōngzuòn le, dànshì hái mǎibùqǐ Táiběi shìqū de fángzi.

Even though I’ve started working, I still can’t afford an apartment in central Taipei City.

3 有名的法國車，我開不起。

Yǒumíng de Fǎguó chē, wǒ kāibùqǐ.

I can’t afford to drive a well-known French made car,.

Questions：

1 這件新娘禮服這麼貴，要結婚的人租得起嗎？

Zhè jiàn xīnniáng lǐfú zhème guì, yào jiéhūn de rén zūdeqǐ ma?

This bride’s dress is so expensive. Can people getting married afford to rent one?

2 我們住得起住不起一個晚上一萬多塊的旅館？

Wǒmen zhùdeqǐ zhùbùqǐ yí ge wǎnshàng yíwàn duō kuài de lǚguǎn?

Can we afford to stay in a hotel room that costs more than NT$10,000 a night?

3 那種照相機，我們買得起買不起？

Nà zhǒng zhàoxiàngjī, wǒmen mǎideqǐ mǎibùqǐ?

Can we afford that kind of camera?

 

Usage

(1) Only a limited number of verbs can combine with 起, including: 吃chī ‘eat’, 喝hē ‘drink’, 買mǎi ‘buy’, 住zhù ‘live’, 租zū ‘rent’, 穿chuān ‘wear’, 用yòng ‘use’, 付fù ‘make payment’. The meaning of 起 is constant, i.e., to have financial capabilities for such pursuits.

(2) 起 can also combine with 看kàn ‘look’, forming idiomatic 看得起kàndeqǐ ‘respect someone’, and 看不起kànbùqǐ ‘look down upon someone’, e.g.,

1 他做了那麼多壞事，朋友怎麼看得起他？

Tā zuòle nàme duō huàishì, péngyǒu zěnme kàndeqǐ tā?

He has done so many bad things, how can his friends think highly of him?

2 對父母不好的人，大家會看不起。

Duì fùmǔ bù hǎo de rén, dàjiā huì kànbùqǐ.

People don’t think highly of people who treat their parents badly.