So much of something bad that a person cannot stand it. It is an intensifier — it sits in front of an adjective and pushes it to the top: unbearably hot, unbearably painful, unbearably slow, unbearably loud.

So much of something bad壞的程度很嚴重，that a person cannot stand it嚴重到讓人受不了。It is an intensifier這是個加強語氣的字——it sits in front of an adjective and pushes it to the top放在形容詞前面，把程度推到極致：unbearably hot, unbearably painful, unbearably slow, unbearably loud像unbearably hot（熱到受不了）、unbearably painful（痛到受不了）、unbearably slow（慢到受不了）、unbearably loud（吵到受不了）。

The honest thing to tell a student is that it is usually an exaggeration. When someone says the afternoon was unbearably hot, they did in fact bear it; they are telling you how it felt, not reporting a fact. This is normal and everyone does it, and it is why the word appears so often in complaints about weather, traffic, and waiting.

The honest thing to tell a student老實跟學生說，is that it is usually an exaggeration這個字通常是誇張的說法。When someone says the afternoon was unbearably hot當有人說那天下午unbearably hot（熱到受不了），they did in fact bear it其實他們還是撐過去了；they are telling you how it felt, not reporting a fact他們是在告訴你當時的感受，不是在陳述事實。This is normal and everyone does it這很正常，大家都會這樣說，and it is why the word appears so often in complaints about weather, traffic, and waiting這也是為什麼這個字常常出現在抱怨天氣、交通、等待的時候。

Two twists are worth knowing. Writers use it with words that are not bad at all — 'unbearably beautiful', 'unbearably sweet' — meaning the feeling is so strong it almost hurts. And 'unbearably' can attach to social discomfort: an unbearably awkward silence, an unbearably smug colleague. Taiwan's summer, for the record, is the example every student reaches for first, and quite rightly.

Two twists are worth knowing有兩個小轉折值得知道。Writers use it with words that are not bad at all作家也會把它用在完全不負面的字上——'unbearably beautiful', 'unbearably sweet'像'unbearably beautiful（美到受不了）'、'unbearably sweet（甜到受不了）'，meaning the feeling is so strong it almost hurts意思是那種感覺強烈到幾乎讓人痛。And 'unbearably' can attach to social discomfort而'unbearably'也可以用在讓人不自在的社交場合：an unbearably awkward silence, an unbearably smug colleague像an unbearably awkward silence（尷尬到受不了的沉默）、an unbearably smug colleague（自滿到讓人受不了的同事）。Taiwan's summer, for the record順帶一提，台灣的夏天，is the example every student reaches for first是每個學生第一個想到的例子，and quite rightly而且想得非常有道理。