不堪 (bù kān) is an adjective meaning 'unbearable' or 'intolerable', describing a state so extreme—whether emotionally, physically, or situationally—that it exceeds one’s capacity to endure. The character 不 (bù) means 'not', and 堪 (kān) means 'to bear', 'to withstand', or 'to be capable of handling'. Together, they form a classical compound expressing incapacity in the face of overwhelming pressure, suffering, or degradation.

This word is commonly used in formal, literary, or serious contexts—not in casual daily speech—and often appears in written Chinese, news reports, literature, or emotional descriptions (e.g., unbearable pain, intolerable injustice, or overwhelming grief). It frequently modifies nouns like 压力 (yālì, pressure), 打击 (dǎjī, blow), or 痛苦 (tòngkǔ, pain), and may also follow verbs like 感到 (gǎndào, to feel) or 令人 (lìng rén, causing someone to). Its tone is solemn and evocative, rarely used humorously or lightly.