"Cannot" • Chinese-English Dictionary

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 bù zú insufficient / lacking / deficiency / not enough / inadequate / not worth / cannot / should not
 bù néng cannot / must not / should not
 bù dé must not / may not / not to be allowed / cannot
 bù kě cannot / should not / must not
 bù kě néng impossible / cannot / not able
 wèi néng cannot / to fail to / unable to
 bù róng must not / cannot / to not allow / cannot tolerate
 wèi kě cannot
 bù kè cannot / to not be able (to) / to be unable to
 bù guò only / merely / no more than / but / however / anyway (to get back to a previous topic) / cannot be more (after adjectival)
 bù dé bù have no choice or option but to / cannot but / have to / can't help it / can't avoid
 rěn bu zhù cannot help / unable to bear
 bù dǒng not to understand / cannot (see, hear, understand, as verb complement) / incomprehension
 huì bù huì (posing a question: whether sb, something) can or cannot? / is able to or not
 néng bù néng can or cannot? / Is it possible? / Can we do it?
 wú suǒ wèi to be indifferent / not to matter / cannot be said to be
 kàn bu jiàn cannot see / cannot be seen / invisible
 dé bù dào cannot get / cannot obtain
 bù yóu de can't help / cannot but
 bù kān cannot bear / cannot stand / utterly / extremely
 bù néng bù have to / cannot but
 bù rěn cannot bear to / disturbed
 bù shèng cannot bear or stand / be unequal to / very / extremely
 dá bù dào cannot achieve / cannot reach
 qíng bù zì jīn unable to restrain emotions / cannot help
 bù dí no match for / cannot beat
 wàng bù liǎo cannot forget
 shǎo bu liǎo cannot do without / to be unavoidable / are bound to be many
 huì fǒu can or cannot / is it possible?
 gù bu shàng cannot attend to or manage
 kàn bu guàn cannot bear to see / to hate / to dislike / to disapprove
 gǎn bù shàng can't keep up with / can't catch up with / cannot overtake
 nán shuō hard to tell (i.e. hard to judge or hard to predict) / cannot bring oneself to say it
 bù jì qí shù lit. their number cannot be counted (idiom) / fig. countless / innumerable
 gōng bù kě mò one's contributions cannot go unnoticed (idiom)
 nǐ sǐ wǒ huó lit. you die, I live (idiom) / irreconcilable adversaries / two parties cannot coexist
 xiǎng bu kāi cannot figure out / to be unable to take a lighter view / to take things too hard / to be depressed / to fret over trifles
 yóu bù de cannot help / to be beyond control of
 yóu bu de cannot help / to be beyond control of
 shuō bu guò qù cannot be justified / inexcusable
 rěn jùn bù jīn cannot help laughing / unable to restrain a smile
 bǎo bu zhù cannot maintain (sth) / unable to keep / more likely than not / may well
 nán bù dǎo not to pose a problem for sb / cannot stump sb
 bù dié cannot cope / find it too much / incessantly
 bù gòng dài tiān (of enemies) cannot live under the same sky / absolutely irreconcilable
 shǎo bu dé cannot be avoided / cannot do without
 xià bù lái awkward / embarrassed / cannot be accomplished
 dǎ bu tōng cannot get through (on phone)
 shì bù liǎng lì the two cannot exist together (idiom) / irreconcilable differences / incompatible standpoints
 gù cǐ shī bǐ lit. to attend to one thing and lose sight of another (idiom) / fig. to be unable to manage two or more things at once / cannot pay attention to one thing without neglecting the other
 yuàn bu de cannot blame / no wonder
使 shǐ bu de cannot be used / must not (do sth) / unacceptable
 yōu míng the hidden and the visible / that which can be seen and that which cannot / darkness and light / night and day / wisdom and ignorance / evil and good / the living and the dead / men and ghosts
 mò zhōng yī shì unable to reach a decision (idiom) / cannot agree on the right choice / no unanimous decision / still a matter of discussion
 nán cí qí jiù cannot escape censure (idiom) / has to bear the blame
 wú kě zhì yí cannot be doubted (idiom)
 lái bu dé cannot allow (to be present) / cannot admit
 jià bu zhù (coll.) unable to withstand / cannot bear / can't stand it / no match for
 biān cháng mò jí lit. the whip cannot reach (idiom) / beyond one's influence / too far to be able to help
 bù shí shí wù to show no understanding of the times (idiom) / cannot adapt to current circumstances / not amenable to reason
 sǐ yǒu yú gū death cannot wipe out the crimes (idiom) / dreadful crimes that rankled even after the perpetrator is dead
 bù wèi cannot be deemed / unexpectedly
 mù yǐ chéng zhōu lit. the timber has been turned into a boat already (idiom) / fig. what is done cannot be undone
 mù bù shí dīng lit. the eye cannot recognize the letter T (idiom) / totally illiterate
 shì bù liǎng lì the two cannot exist together (idiom) / irreconcilable differences / incompatible standpoints
 háo wú èr zhì there cannot be another one like it
 mǎi bu qǐ cannot afford / can't afford buying
 wú jiān bù cuī no stronghold one cannot overcome (idiom) / to conquer every obstacle / nothing one can't do / to carry everything before one
 yù sù zé bù dá lit. to want sth in haste, but cannot get there (idiom, from Analects) / more haste, less speed / don't try to run before you can walk
 wéi fù bù rén the benevolent man cannot be rich (idiom, from Mencius). It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:24).
 jiǔ suān bù shòu "The wine´s gone bad and it cannot be sold"
 bù gǎn gāo pān lit. not dare to pull oneself up high (humble term) / I cannot presume on your attention
 bù zhī zhě bù zuì One who does not know is not guilty / If one does not know any better, one cannot be held responsible
 xià chóng bù kě yǐ yǔ bīng a summer insect cannot discuss ice (idiom)
 qiǎo fù nán wéi wú mǐ zhī chuī The cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice (idiom) / You won't get anywhere without equipment.
 qiáng lóng bù yā dì tóu shé lit. strong dragon cannot repress a snake (idiom) / fig. a local gangster who is above the law
 xīn wú èr yòng one cannot concentrate on two things at the same time
 sǐ wú duì zhèng the dead cannot testify (idiom) / dead men tell no tales
 shuǐ zhì qīng zé wú yú Water that is too clear has few fish, and one who is too critical has few friends (idiom) / You cannot expect everyone to be squeaky clean. / Don't be too picky!
 pō shuǐ nán shōu water once spilt cannot be retrieved (idiom) / irreversible change
 wéi rén bù fù the rich man cannot be benevolent (idiom, from Mencius). It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:24).
 wú fēng bù qǐ làng lit. without wind there cannot be waves (idiom) / there must be a reason / no smoke without fire
 mù bù rěn jiàn lit. the eye cannot bear to see it (idiom) / a scene too pitiful to behold
 mù bù rěn shì lit. the eye cannot bear to see it (idiom) / a scene too pitiful to behold
 mù bù jiàn jié lit. the eye cannot see the eyelashes (idiom) / fig. unable to see one's own faults / to lack self-awareness / truths too close to home
 dào bù tóng bù xiāng wéi móu lit. persons who walk different paths cannot make plans together / to go separate ways (idiom)
饿 bǎo rén bù zhī è rén jī The well-fed cannot know how the starving suffer (idiom).
饿 bǎo hàn bù zhī è hàn jī The well-fed cannot know how the starving suffer (idiom).
 dú mù bù chéng lín a lone tree does not make a forest (idiom) / one cannot accomplish much on one's own
 yī ge bā zhǎng pāi bù xiǎng lit. one palm alone cannot clap (proverb) / fig. it takes two persons to start a dispute / it takes two to tango / it's difficult to achieve anything without support
 yī mù nán zhī lit. a single post cannot prop up a falling house (idiom) / fig. one is helpless alone
 Hàn zéi bù liǎng lì lit. Shu Han 蜀漢|蜀汉[Shu3 Han4] and Cao Wei 曹魏[Cao2 Wei4] cannot coexist (idiom) / fig. two enemies cannot live under the same sky / (former KMT slogan against CCP) "gentlemen and thieves cannot coexist"
 yán bù jìn yì (conventional letter ending) words cannot fully express what is in my heart (idiom)
 mǐ yǐ chéng chuī lit. the rice has already been cooked (idiom) / fig. what is done cannot be undone
 tiān lǐ nán róng Heaven cannot tolerate this (idiom) / intolerable behavior
 qǐn shí nán ān lit. cannot rest or eat in peace (idiom) / fig. extremely worried and troubled
 bù biàn shū mài lit. cannot tell beans from wheat (idiom) / fig. ignorant of practical matters
 bù miǎn yī sǐ cannot avoid being killed / cannot escape death / to be mortal
 fù dān bu qǐ cannot afford / cannot bear the burden
 shēn bù jiàn dǐ so deep one cannot see to the bottom / limitless
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