What is the difference between 吃不消 and 受不了 to mean "I cannot bear"? I came across these two expressions &quot;吃不消&quot; and &quot;受不了&quot;, both translated as &quot;cannot stand / cannot bear&quot;.
My impression is that 吃不消 refers more to physical circumstances, like fatigue, tiredness, whereas 受不了 has a broader sense, so that for example one could also 受不了 an annoying person.
Is that right?
Any other hints as how and when to use these two expressions?
Many thanks!!
吃不消 literally means &quot;too much to digest,&quot; so I'd use it for heavy workload, frequent annoyances, etc.
受不了 literally means &quot;unbearable,&quot; so I'd use it for unsociable people, hostile environments, etc.
But that's just my preference; in practice they are quite interchangeable.