可能
Chinese
can; may; able to can; may; able to; certain(ly); to suit; (particle used for emphasis) |
ability; can; may ability; can; may; capable; energy; able | ||
---|---|---|---|
trad. (可能) | 可 | 能 | |
simp. #(可能) | 可 | 能 |
Etymology
Attested in Old Chinese; original meanings were “to be able to, competent”, “can be achieved, possible”.
Pronunciation
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Adjective
可能
Usage notes
Chinese does not have different words for possible and probable in the way that English does. To express the sense that something is probable—i.e., likely to happen as opposed to just being a possibility among others—consider adding 很 (hěn) before 可能 or 有可能 (yǒukěnéng).
Synonyms
- 容易 (róngyì)
Adverb
可能
Synonyms
- 也許/也许 (yěxǔ)
- 保不住 (bǎobuzhù) (colloquial)
- 保不定 (bǎobudìng) (colloquial)
- 保不齊/保不齐 (bǎobuqí) (colloquial)
- 備不住/备不住 (bèibuzhù) (regional)
- 凡勢/凡势 (hoān-sè) (Taiwanese Hokkien)
- 博定 (Zhangzhou Hokkien)
- 容許/容许 (róngxǔ) (literary)
- 怕係/怕系 (Hakka)
- 怕是 (pàshì)
- 或者 (huòzhě)
- 或許/或许 (huòxǔ)
- 指不定 (zhǐbùdìng)
- 搞不好 (gǎobùhǎo)
- 歉采 (Hokkien)
- 殼張/壳张 (7khoq-tsan) (Wu, dated)
- 沒準兒/没准儿 (méizhǔnr) (colloquial)
- 興許/兴许 (xīngxǔ) (colloquial)
- 話勿出/话勿出 (6gho-veq-tsheq) (Wu)
- 話唔埋/话唔埋 (waa6 m4 maai4) (Cantonese)
- 話唔定/话唔定 (waa6 m4 ding6) (Cantonese)
- 說不定/说不定 (shuōbùdìng)
- 講勿定/讲勿定 (5kaon-veq-din) (Wu)
- 講唔定/讲唔定 (gong2 m4 ding6) (Cantonese)
- 難免/难免 (nánmiǎn)
Noun
(deprecated template usage) 可能
- possibility; probability; likelihood (Classifier: 個/个)
Synonyms
Verb
可能
- (literary) to be competent to; to have the ability to
- 孟莊子之孝也,其他可能也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Mèng Zhuāng zǐ zhī xiào yě, qítā kěnéng yě. [Pinyin]
- The filial piety of Meng Zhuang, in other matters, was what other men are competent to.
孟庄子之孝也,其他可能也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
- (literary) can be achieved; to be possible
Derived terms
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Descendants
Japanese
Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
可 | 能 |
か Grade: 5 |
のう Grade: 5 |
on'yomi |
Etymology
From Middle Chinese compound 可能 (khaX nong, literally “may, can + able, ability”).
Pronunciation
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Adjective
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Inflection
Stem forms | |||
---|---|---|---|
Imperfective (未然形) | 可能だろ | かのうだろ | kanō daro |
Continuative (連用形) | 可能で | かのうで | kanō de |
Terminal (終止形) | 可能だ | かのうだ | kanō da |
Attributive (連体形) | 可能な | かのうな | kanō na |
Hypothetical (仮定形) | 可能なら | かのうなら | kanō nara |
Imperative (命令形) | 可能であれ | かのうであれ | kanō de are |
Key constructions | |||
Informal negative | 可能ではない 可能じゃない |
かのうではない かのうじゃない |
kanō de wa nai kanō ja nai |
Informal past | 可能だった | かのうだった | kanō datta |
Informal negative past | 可能ではなかった 可能じゃなかった |
かのうではなかった かのうじゃなかった |
kanō de wa nakatta kanō ja nakatta |
Formal | 可能です | かのうです | kanō desu |
Formal negative | 可能ではありません 可能じゃありません |
かのうではありません かのうじゃありません |
kanō de wa arimasen kanō ja arimasen |
Formal past | 可能でした | かのうでした | kanō deshita |
Formal negative past | 可能ではありませんでした 可能じゃありませんでした |
かのうではありませんでした かのうじゃありませんでした |
kanō de wa arimasen deshita kanō ja arimasen deshita |
Conjunctive | 可能で | かのうで | kanō de |
Conditional | 可能なら(ば) | かのうなら(ば) | kanō nara (ba) |
Provisional | 可能だったら | かのうだったら | kanō dattara |
Volitional | 可能だろう | かのうだろう | kanō darō |
Adverbial | 可能に | かのうに | kanō ni |
Degree | 可能さ | かのうさ | kanōsa |
Synonyms
Antonyms
(possible):
- ありえない (arienai), 不可能 (fukanō): impossible
- 必然的 (hitsuzenteki): inevitable
Derived terms
- 可能性 (kanōsei): (possibility, feasibility)
Noun
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- possibility, good chance
- 可能の
- kanō no
- possible
- 可能の
- feasibility
Antonyms
- (possibility): 不可能 (fukanō): impossible; 必然的 (hitsuzenteki): inevitable
- (feasibility): 不可能 (fukanō): (infeasibility)
References
- Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
- 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.
Korean
Hanja in this term | |
---|---|
可 | 能 |
Noun
- hanja form? of 가능 (“possibility”)
Vietnamese
chữ Hán Nôm in this term | |
---|---|
可 | 能 |
Noun
可能
- Chinese lemmas
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