<p>'<strong>要</strong>不了' in this context simply means "can't <strong>take</strong>" (can't <strong>accept</strong>).</p>

<p>In English, it would be "I can't take $60 HKD (for this merchandise)"</p>

<p>The shopkeeper refused to take the $60 HKD in exchange of that particular merchandise</p>

<p><strong><em>要了</strong>那六十块就要交出商品了 (if she <strong>took</strong> that $60 HKD, she would have to hand over the merchandise)</em></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-06T03:22:58.167Z
2018-04-06T10:17:28.070Z
2018-04-06T10:17:28.070Z
Tang Ho
<p><strong>要不了</strong> in the above dialogue means refuse.</p>

<p><strong>in more specific word</strong>,shopkeeper will say:<strong>六十块我都要不了（到 )货</strong> （i cant stock this up in such low price,so it's less likely to sell you.）</p>

<p>sometime chinese use the wrong word in oral,so you need to catch the main point like <strong>不</strong>.
Try to understand them in a simple way because not everyone cant afford the fee of well-education.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-06T03:49:56.173Z
If the shopkeeper wanted to reason with the customers that the wholesale price is more than $60, she would simply say 来价也不止六十块哦!
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-06T03:23:16.477Z
2018-04-06T03:23:16.477Z
promisedland
<p>Don't really like 要不了 in your example, better 卖不了。</p>

<ol>
<li>I ask you to go and buy something for me.You are not sure of the price of the article. You ask me:</li>
</ol>

<p>这个东西六十块钱够吗？</p>

<p>I know it won't cost that much, it is less than 60, I say:</p>

<p>要不了六十块。</p>

<ol start="2">
<li>You make an offer of a price to a shopkeeper</li>
</ol>

<p>这个六十块钱，可以吧？Will you take 60 for this?<br>
六十块卖不了。I won't sell it for 60.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-06T04:58:58.610Z
Oh, maybe this is because it was filmed in Hong Kong.
Becky 李蓓
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-06T05:18:56.130Z
@Pedroski 要不了六十块 and 六十块(我)要不了 are different
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-06T05:22:33.193Z
@Becky 李蓓 Yeah, many Hong Kong people's Mandarin is just so so
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-06T04:57:54.907Z
2018-04-06T04:57:54.907Z
Pedroski
<p>A Mandarin Corner <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXBzyL9dnTo&amp;t=227s" rel="nofollow noreferrer">YouTube video</a> shows a woman haggling over a scarf in Hong Kong.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/loOai.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/loOai.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>A snippet from their dialogue:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>这个六十块钱，可以吧？<br />
<sub>Zhège liùshí kuài qián, kěyǐ ba?</sub></p>
<p>六十块，<strong>要不了</strong>。<br />
<sub>Liùshí kuài, <strong>yào bùliǎo</strong>.</sub></p>
<p><strong>要不了</strong>啊？<br />
<sub><strong>Yào bùliǎo</strong> a?</sub></p>
<p>对啊。<br />
<sub>Duì a.</sub></p>
<p>我觉得一百五也太贵了！算了，算了。那我们就再看一下吧。<br />
<sub>Wǒ juédé yībǎi wǔ yě tài guìle! Suànle, suànle. Nà wǒmen jiù zài kàn yīxià ba.</sub></p>
</blockquote>
<p>(She eventually gets the shopkeeper down to 65 yuan!  Impressive.)</p>
<p>I don't understand what 要不了 (yào bùliǎo) means here.  It turns up in various sentences in <a href="http://jukuu.com/search.php?q=%E8%A6%81%E4%B8%8D%E4%BA%86" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Jukuu.com</a> (e.g. 要不了多久 (yào bùliǎo duōjiǔ) seems to mean &quot;it won't take much time&quot;, and this was raised in <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/21891/please-explain-%E8%A6%81%E4%B8%8D%E4%BA%86%E5%A4%9A%E4%B9%85">another question</a>) which doesn't seem relevant to the dialogue above.  <a href="http://youdao.com/w/eng/%E8%A6%81%E4%B8%8D%E4%BA%86" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Youdao</a> gives &quot;otherwise the&quot;, which doesn't make sense.</p>
<p><strong>Question</strong>: What does 要不了 in the above dialogue mean?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-06T08:12:40.717Z
"Youdao gives "otherwise the", which doesn't make sense." Yes, for "otherwise" it is "要不"
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-06T14:33:29.680Z
Nothing impressive about turning a $150 price into $65, specially for foreigners.
Enrico Brasil
<meaning-in-context>
Why does the shopkeeper say 要不了 (yào bùliǎo) after the customer proposes a too-low price?
# Why does the shopkeeper say 要不了 (yào bùliǎo) after the customer proposes a too-low price?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-04-06)

A Mandarin Corner [YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXBzyL9dnTo&t=227s) shows a woman haggling over a scarf in Hong Kong.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/loOai.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/loOai.png)

A snippet from their dialogue:

> 这个六十块钱，可以吧？  
> Zhège liùshí kuài qián, kěyǐ ba?
>
> 六十块，**要不了**。  
> Liùshí kuài, **yào bùliǎo**.
>
> **要不了**啊？  
> **Yào bùliǎo** a?
>
> 对啊。  
> Duì a.
>
> 我觉得一百五也太贵了！算了，算了。那我们就再看一下吧。  
> Wǒ juédé yībǎi wǔ yě tài guìle! Suànle, suànle. Nà wǒmen jiù zài kàn yīxià ba.

(She eventually gets the shopkeeper down to 65 yuan! Impressive.)

I don't understand what 要不了 (yào bùliǎo) means here. It turns up in various sentences in [Jukuu.com](http://jukuu.com/search.php?q=%E8%A6%81%E4%B8%8D%E4%BA%86) (e.g. 要不了多久 (yào bùliǎo duōjiǔ) seems to mean "it won't take much time", and this was raised in [another question](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/21891/please-explain-%E8%A6%81%E4%B8%8D%E4%BA%86%E5%A4%9A%E4%B9%85)) which doesn't seem relevant to the dialogue above. [Youdao](http://youdao.com/w/eng/%E8%A6%81%E4%B8%8D%E4%BA%86) gives "otherwise the", which doesn't make sense.

**Question**: What does 要不了 in the above dialogue mean?

**Tags:** meaning-in-context

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: "Youdao gives "otherwise the", which doesn't make sense." Yes, for "otherwise" it is "要不"  
> **username_2**: Nothing impressive about turning a $150 price into $65, specially for foreigners.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-04-06. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

'**要**不了' in this context simply means "can't **take**" (can't **accept**).

In English, it would be "I can't take $60 HKD (for this merchandise)"

The shopkeeper refused to take the $60 HKD in exchange of that particular merchandise

***要了***那六十块就要交出商品了 (if she **took** that $60 HKD, she would have to hand over the merchandise)


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-04-06. Score: 1

**要不了** in the above dialogue means refuse.

**in more specific word**,shopkeeper will say:**六十块我都要不了（到 )货** （i cant stock this up in such low price,so it's less likely to sell you.）

sometime chinese use the wrong word in oral,so you need to catch the main point like **不**.
Try to understand them in a simple way because not everyone cant afford the fee of well-education.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: If the shopkeeper wanted to reason with the customers that the wholesale price is more than $60, she would simply say 来价也不止六十块哦!  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2018-04-06. Score: 0

Don't really like 要不了 in your example, better 卖不了。

1. I ask you to go and buy something for me.You are not sure of the price of the article. You ask me:

这个东西六十块钱够吗？

I know it won't cost that much, it is less than 60, I say:

要不了六十块。

2. You make an offer of a price to a shopkeeper

这个六十块钱，可以吧？Will you take 60 for this?  
六十块卖不了。I won't sell it for 60.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Oh, maybe this is because it was filmed in Hong Kong.  
> **username_1**: @username_4 要不了六十块 and 六十块(我)要不了 are different  
> **username_1**: @username_0 Yeah, many Hong Kong people's Mandarin is just so so  

---

