HSK 7
巴不得
bā bù de
The structure 巴不得 (bā bu de)
Explanation
巴不得 (bābude) expresses an intense yearning, an eager longing for something good to happen to oneself as soon as possible, along the lines of 'to only wish that, to be dying for it to happen right away'.
Subject + 巴不得 (bābude) + a verb phrase stating the desired thing. For example, 巴不得早点儿离开 = to only wish to leave sooner.
Mainly colloquial, expressing the speaker's own ardent longing (usually for something beneficial to oneself).
巴不得 (bābude) = to wish for something good to oneself to happen soon; whereas 恨不得 (hènbude) = to wish one could do right away something difficult/impossible, often with exaggeration (恨不得一口吃成胖子, 'wish to become fat in one bite'). Do not mix them up.
After 巴不得 there must be something the speaker desires (positive for oneself), not used for something one does not want; and 巴不得 expresses a subjective wish, so it does not go with a neutral, objective fact.
Examples
He ran nonstop for over half an hour, wishing he could reach home in a single step.
I hate this line of work; I only wish I could leave it sooner.
Practice
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Learn “巴不得” effectively
The grammar point “巴不得” (The structure 巴不得 (bā bu de)) is one of the key structures at HSK 7. To use it fluently, you need to understand the contexts where it's used and practice regularly.
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