Definition
大不了 (dà bu liǎo) has two uses: adverb 'at worst' (colloquial risk-minimizer) and adjective 'a big deal' (usually negative: 没什么大不了 'no big deal'). Unlike 严重 (yánzhòng) for grave situations or 不得了 (bù dé liǎo) for disastrous/extreme, 大不了 downplays seriousness.
adverb
at worstif worst comes to worst
adjective
(adjective, usu. in negative) seriousa big deal
Examples
- 大不了，。dà bu liǎo wǒ míngtiān zài pǎo yí tàng, méi guānxi de.At worst, I'll make another trip tomorrow — no big deal.
- 大不了。Zhè diǎn xiǎo cuòwù méi shénme dà bu liǎo de.This little mistake is no big deal.
- 大不了，。dà bu liǎo bǎ jiù shǒujī huàn le, fǎnzhèng yě gāi huàn le.At worst, I'll replace the old phone — it's time to change it anyway.
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