可能

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Chinese

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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

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Attested in Old Chinese; original meanings were “to be able to, competent”, “can be achieved, possible”.

Pronunciation

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Note: ko2 lêng5 - Chaozhou.
Rime
Character 可 能
Reading # 1/1 2/4
Initial (聲) 溪 (29) 泥 (8)
Final (韻) 歌 (94) 登 (129)
Tone (調) Rising (X) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open Open
Division (等) I I
Fanqie 枯我切 奴登切
Baxter khaX nong
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/kʰɑX/ /nəŋ/
Pan
Wuyun 		/kʰɑX/ /nəŋ/
Shao
Rongfen 		/kʰɑX/ /nəŋ/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/kʰaX/ /nəŋ/
Li
Rong 		/kʰɑX/ /nəŋ/
Wang
Li 		/kʰɑX/ /nəŋ/
Bernhard
Karlgren 		/kʰɑX/ /nəŋ/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		kě néng
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		ho2 nang4
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 可 能
Reading # 1/1 3/3
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		kě néng
Middle
Chinese 		‹ khaX › ‹ nong ›
Old
Chinese 		/*[k]ʰˁa[j]ʔ/ /*nˁə(ʔ)/ (~ *nˁəŋ)
English may; acceptable able; ability

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 可 能
Reading # 1/1 3/4
No. 7446 9415
Phonetic
component 		可 能
Rime
group 		歌 蒸
Rime
subdivision 		1 0
Corresponding
MC rime 		可 能
Old
Chinese 		/*kʰaːlʔ/ /*nɯːŋ/

Adjective

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可能

  1. possible; probable; likely

Usage notes

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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

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Adverb

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可能

  1. maybe; perhaps; probably; might; may
    可能我會去。／可能我会去。  ―  Kěnéng wǒ huì qù.  ―  Perhaps I will go.
    他可能被開除了。 [MSC, trad.]
    他可能被开除了。 [MSC, simp.]
    Tā kěnéng bèi kāichú le. [Pinyin]
    He may have been fired.

Synonyms

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edit

Noun

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可能

  1. possibility; probability; likelihood (Classifier: 個／个)
    無限可能／无限可能  ―  wúxiàn kěnéng  ―  infinite possibilities
    什麼事都有發生的可能。 [MSC, trad.]
    什么事都有发生的可能。 [MSC, simp.]
    Shénme shì dōu yǒu fāshēng de kěnéng. [Pinyin]
    Anything has a possibility of happening.

Synonyms

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edit

Verb

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可能

  1. (literary) to be competent to; to have the ability to
  2. (literary) can be achieved; to be possible

Phrase

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可能

  1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see 可 (a question-forming particle), 能 ("can; be able to").
    汝亦驚弦者，來歸過我廬。可能滄海外，代寄故人書？ [Literary Chinese, trad.]
    汝亦惊弦者，来归过我庐。可能沧海外，代寄故人书？ [Literary Chinese, simp.]
    Rǔ yì jīng xián zhě, láiguī guò wǒ lú. Kě néng cānghǎi wài, dài jì gù rén shū? [Pinyin]
    (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

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Descendants

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Sino-Xenic (可能):

Japanese

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Kanji in this term
可 能
か
Grade: 5 		のう
Grade: 5
on'yomi

Etymology

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From Middle Chinese compound 可能 (khaX nong, literally “may, can + able, ability”).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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可(か)能(のう) • (kanō) -na (adnominal 可(か)能(のう)な (kanō na), adverbial 可(か)能(のう)に (kanō ni))

  1. possible
  2. feasible

Inflection

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Inflection of 可能
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

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Antonyms

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(antonym(s) of “possible”):

Derived terms

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Noun

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可(か)能(のう) • (kanō) 

  1. possibility, good chance
    可能(かのう)の
    kanō no
    possible
  2. feasibility

Antonyms

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References

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  1. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  • Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） (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

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Hanja in this term
可能

Noun

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可能 • (ganeung) (hangeul 가능)

  1. hanja form? of 가능 (“possibility”)

Vietnamese

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chữ Hán Nôm in this term
可能

Noun

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可能

  1. chữ Hán form of khả năng (“ability; capability; competence”).
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