怎麼得了 zěn me dé liǎo

DEFINITIONS

  1. how can this be?
  2. what's to be done?
  3. what an awful mess!

CHARACTERS

怎 zěn what? why? how?
麼 me interrogative final particle; insignificant, small, tiny
得 dé obtain, get, gain, acquire
了 liǎo to finish; particle of completed action