contextual

How do I say ‘that’s enough’?

Natural but potentially forceful; it can mark a quantity limit or tell someone to stop.

够了

gòu le

That’s enough / stop now.

LITERAL

It is enough now.

WHAT IT REALLY MEANS

That’s enough / stop now.

WHEN IT FITS

Enough food or quantityStopping repeated behaviorEnding an argument firmly

The same words shift from practical to confrontational depending on whether the limit is a quantity or a person’s behavior.

够了 shifts from practical to confrontational depending entirely on whether the limit is a quantity (菜够了 — “enough food”) or a person’s behavior (你够了 — “you, stop”). A standalone 够了 directed at someone lands as an emotional boundary — sometimes necessary, always forceful. 差不多了 (“that’s probably about enough”) is the everyday softener: it sets a practical limit without the emotional charge. For the nuclear option, 你够了 is the Chinese equivalent of “I’ve had enough of you.”

HOW PEOPLE ACTUALLY SAY IT

这些菜够了,别再点了。

Zhèxiē cài gòu le, bié zài diǎn le.

This is enough food. Don’t order any more.

Quantity limit
够了,别再说了。

Gòu le, bié zài shuō le.

That’s enough. Stop talking about it.

Firm emotional boundary

CHOOSE BY SITUATION

差不多了

chàbuduō le

That’s probably about enough.

You want a softer practical limit