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Definition
-
can
可以!It's permitted (You may).
-
may
不可能!It can't be!
- able (to)
- to be willing (to)
- to allow
- to approve
- to permit
- but
- yet
-
however
可是这不是最后一班火车,对吧?But this isn't the last train, right?
- about
- very
- phonetic component
- particle used for emphasis
可 is also a phonetic component
Learn more about 可 as a component in other characters: 可 the phonetic component
Compounds (24)
prefix (used before monosyllabic names, kinship terms etc to indicate familiarity); used in transliteration; also pr. [a4]; (when pronounced Ā, abbr. for) Afghanistan (阿富汗)
Related words (283)
good or not?; as luck would have it; by a happy coincidence; just right; luckily; fortuitously
awful; dreadful; fearful; formidable; frightful; frightening; scary; hideous; horrible; terrible; terribly
considerable; impressive; significant; substantial; sizable; (to be) worth seeing; graceful
gnosticism, the philosophical doctrine that everything about the universe is knowable
equivalent to 就可以; can then (do sth); can immediately (do sth); (do sth) and that will suffice
to prefer; preferably; one would prefer to...(or not to...); would rather; (would) be better to; (to pick) the lesser of two evils
possible; probable; possibly; probably; may; might; it's possible; to be possible; to be in the cards
unpredictable eventuality; unpreventable; unavoidable; impossible to overcome; nothing can be done about it; act of God; force majeure
agnosticism, the philosophical doctrine that some questions about the universe are in principle unanswerable
rare and precious; valuable; remarkable; estimable; rare and commendable; praiseworthy for one's excellent conduct; deserving praise for one's excellent performance (or behavior)
see 人不可貌相,海水不可斗量[ren2 bu4 ke3 mao4 xiang4 , hai3 shui3 bu4 ke3 dou3 liang2]
(lit.) the fish and the bear's paw, you can't have both at the same time (idiom, from Mencius); fig. you must choose one or the other; you can't always get everything you want; you can't have your cake and eat it
Idioms (58)
(lit.) you can sing or you can cry (idiom); fig. deeply moving; happy and sad; inspiring and tragic
can be discovered but not sought (idiom); one can only come across such things serendipitously
inconceivable (idiom); (idiom) it's beyond logic and above reason; beyond comprehension; difficult to understand; mysterious; unimaginable; unfathomable; marvelous; incredible; unthinkable
(lit.) spare valor for sale (idiom); fig. after former successes, still ready for more work; not resting on one's laurels
the young will be redoubtable in the years to come (idiom); the younger generations will surpass us in time
just a very few (idiom); tiny number; just a handful; not many at all; You count them on your fingers.
(lit.) no antidote is possible (idiom); incurable; incorrigible; beyond redemption
no strategy left to try (idiom); at one's wit's end; at the end of one's tether; powerless
not to be censured too strictly (idiom); not altogether inexcusable; understandable
deep and unmeasurable (idiom); unfathomable depths; incomprehensible; enigmatic and impossible to predict
(lit.) burn your hand, feel the heat (idiom); arrogance of the powerful; a mighty figure no-one dares approach; hot (exciting or in favor)
a feast for the eyes (idiom); (of women) gorgeous; graceful; (of scenery) beautiful
to stop before going too far (idiom); to stop while one can; don't overdo it; stop while you're ahead
(lit.) mustn't speak of two things on the same day (idiom); not to be mentioned in the same breath; incomparable
(lit.) mysteries of heaven must not be revealed (idiom); must not be revealed; I am not at liberty to inform you.
(lit.) mysteries of heaven must not be revealed (idiom); must not be revealed; I am not at liberty to inform you.
(lit.) family shames must not be spread abroad (idiom); fig. don't wash your dirty linen in public
(lit.) family shames must not be spread abroad (idiom); (fig.) don't wash your dirty linen in public
(lit.) mustn't speak of two things on the same day (idiom); not to be mentioned in the same breath; incomparable
to keep going resolutely despite knowing the task is impossible (idiom)
(lit.) the other mountain's stone can polish jade (idiom); to improve oneself by accepting criticism from outside; to borrow talent from abroad to develop the nation effectively
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