但 但我不能 替李娟做主
“But I can't... decide for Li Juan.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
怕受 怕受不了
“I'm afraid... I can't take it.”
但 但我 不能 替李娟 做主
“But I can't... decide for Li Juan.”
能
“You can.”
“Do not pressure me, you need to ask her directly.”
In Chinese social interactions, overstepping boundaries by deciding for someone else (越俎代庖) can cause conflict, making 'cannot make decisions for them' a standard polite refusal.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
make decisions on behalf of someone
A common structure used when stating one does not possess the authority or right to dictate another person's actions.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“I can't let Li Juan go by herself. She's so young,”
“Li Juan didn't tell me. I got it from somewhere else.”
“only Li Juan is upright? And I'm not?”
“But you can't just stop doing it.”
“it was Li Juan who brought me here.”
“You're in no position to decide for me.”