| 不了 | bù liǎo | unable to; without end |
| 受不了 | shòu bù liǎo | unbearable; unable to endure; can't stand |
| 免不了 | miǎn bù liǎo | unavoidable; can't be avoided |
| 少不了 | shǎo bu liǎo | cannot do without; to be unavoidable; are bound to be many |
| 用不了 | yòng bu liǎo | to not use all of; to use less than |
| 不了了之 | bù liǎo liǎo zhī | settle a matter by leaving it unsettled; end up with nothing definite |
| 吃不了兜着走 | chī bu liǎo dōu zhe zǒu | lit. if you can't eat it all, you'll have to take it home (idiom); fig. you'll have to take the consequences |
| 大不了 | dà bù liǎo | at worst; if worst comes to worst; serious; alarming |
| 忘不了 | wàng bù liǎo | cannot forget |
| 死不了 | sǐ bù liǎo | Portulaca Sundial (a type of plant) |
| 狗改不了吃屎 | gǒu gǎi bù liǎo chī shǐ | a dog can't stop himself from eating shit; bad habits are hard to change |
| 脱不了身 | tuō bù liǎo shēn | busy and unable to get away |
跑了和尚，
跑不了寺 | pǎo le hé shàng ,
pǎo bù liǎo sì | the monk can run away, but the temple won't run with him (idiom); you can run this time, but you'll have to come back; I'll get you sooner or later |
跑了和尚，
跑不了庙 | pǎo le hé shàng ,
pǎo bù liǎo miào | the monk can run away, but the temple won't run with him (idiom); you can run this time, but you'll have to come back; I'll get you sooner or later |
跑得了和尚，
跑不了庙 | pǎo dé liǎo hé shàng ,
pǎo bù liǎo miào | the monk can run away, but the temple won't run with him (idiom); you can run this time, but you'll have to come back; I'll get you sooner or later |
| 远水救不了近火 | yuǎn shuǐ jiù bu liǎo jìn huǒ | lit. water from afar quenches not fire; fig. urgent need; a slow remedy does not address the current emergency |
