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Key:

Mandarin Chinese information.
Old Wade-Giles romanization used only in Taiwan.
Japanese information.
Buddhist definition. Note: May not apply to all sects.
 Definition may be different outside of Buddhism.

There are 491 total results for your Cannot search in the dictionary. I have created 5 pages of results for you. Each page contains 100 results...

<12345>
Characters Pronunciation
Romanization
Simple Dictionary Definition

無能遏絕


无能遏绝

see styles
wú néng è jué
    wu2 neng2 e4 jue2
wu neng o chüeh
 mu nō atsuzetsu
cannot be obstructed

無處可尋


无处可寻

see styles
wú chù kě xún
    wu2 chu4 ke3 xun2
wu ch`u k`o hsün
    wu chu ko hsün
cannot be found anywhere (idiom)

留守兒童


留守儿童

see styles
liú shǒu ér tóng
    liu2 shou3 er2 tong2
liu shou erh t`ung
    liu shou erh tung
"left-behind children", rural children whose parents have to make a living as migrant workers in distant urban areas, but cannot afford to keep the family with them

目かくし

see styles
 mekakushi
    めかくし
(noun/participle) (1) something used to cover the eyes; blindfold; blinder; blinker; eye bandage; (2) concealing one's home such that the interior cannot be seen from outside

目不忍視


目不忍视

see styles
mù bù rěn shì
    mu4 bu4 ren3 shi4
mu pu jen shih
lit. the eye cannot bear to see it (idiom); fig. pitiful to behold

目不暇給


目不暇给

see styles
mù bù xiá jǐ
    mu4 bu4 xia2 ji3
mu pu hsia chi
lit. the eye cannot take it all in (idiom); fig. too many good things to see; a feast for the eyes

目不見睫


目不见睫

see styles
mù bù jiàn jié
    mu4 bu4 jian4 jie2
mu pu chien chieh
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

目不識丁


目不识丁

see styles
mù bù shí dīng
    mu4 bu4 shi2 ding1
mu pu shih ting
lit. the eye cannot recognize the letter T (idiom); totally illiterate

看不過去


看不过去

see styles
kàn bu guò qu
    kan4 bu5 guo4 qu5
k`an pu kuo ch`ü
    kan pu kuo chü
cannot stand by idly and watch; unable to put up with it any longer

眾怒難犯


众怒难犯

see styles
zhòng nù nán fàn
    zhong4 nu4 nan2 fan4
chung nu nan fan
(idiom) one cannot afford to incur public wrath; it is dangerous to incur the anger of the masses

禁帯出本

see styles
 kintaishutsubon
    きんたいしゅつぼん
book that cannot be taken out (of a library, etc.); restricted book; reference-only book

空口無憑


空口无凭

see styles
kōng kǒu wú píng
    kong1 kou3 wu2 ping2
k`ung k`ou wu p`ing
    kung kou wu ping
mere verbal statement cannot be taken as proof (idiom)

筈がない

see styles
 hazuganai
    はずがない
(exp,adj-i) (kana only) cannot (do); it is impossible that...; it is (highly) unlikely that...

筈が無い

see styles
 hazuganai
    はずがない
(exp,adj-i) (kana only) cannot (do); it is impossible that...; it is (highly) unlikely that...

筈のない

see styles
 hazunonai
    はずのない
(exp,adj-i) (kana only) cannot (do); it is impossible that...; it is (highly) unlikely that...

筈の無い

see styles
 hazunonai
    はずのない
(exp,adj-i) (kana only) cannot (do); it is impossible that...; it is (highly) unlikely that...

米已成炊

see styles
mǐ yǐ chéng chuī
    mi3 yi3 cheng2 chui1
mi i ch`eng ch`ui
    mi i cheng chui
lit. the rice has already been cooked (idiom); fig. what is done cannot be undone

莫衷一是

see styles
mò zhōng yī shì
    mo4 zhong1 yi1 shi4
mo chung i shih
unable to reach a decision (idiom); cannot agree on the right choice; no unanimous decision; still a matter of discussion

虛不受補


虚不受补

see styles
xū bù shòu bǔ
    xu1 bu4 shou4 bu3
hsü pu shou pu
a person who is in poor health cannot handle something so strong as a tonic

言不盡意


言不尽意

see styles
yán bù jìn yì
    yan2 bu4 jin4 yi4
yen pu chin i
(conventional letter ending) words cannot fully express what is in my heart (idiom)

詮方無い

see styles
 senkatanai
    せんかたない
(ateji / phonetic) (adjective) (1) it cannot be helped; there is no way; (2) (archaism) intolerable; unbearable

誓不兩立


誓不两立

see styles
shì bù liǎng lì
    shi4 bu4 liang3 li4
shih pu liang li
the two cannot exist together (idiom); irreconcilable differences; incompatible standpoints

說不過去


说不过去

see styles
shuō bu guò qù
    shuo1 bu5 guo4 qu4
shuo pu kuo ch`ü
    shuo pu kuo chü
cannot be justified; inexcusable

負擔不起


负担不起

see styles
fù dān bu qǐ
    fu4 dan1 bu5 qi3
fu tan pu ch`i
    fu tan pu chi
cannot afford; cannot bear the burden

迚も迚も

see styles
 totemototemo
    とてもとても
(adverb) (kana only) (before a negative form) simply (cannot)

酒酸不售

see styles
jiǔ suān bù shòu
    jiu3 suan1 bu4 shou4
chiu suan pu shou
"The wine´s gone bad and it cannot be sold"

阿軫帝也


阿轸帝也

see styles
ā zhěn dì yě
    a1 zhen3 di4 ye3
a chen ti yeh
 ashintaiya
Transliteration from Sanskrit of Acintya or Atintya (अचिन्त्य). Beyond conception, "the unthinkable", "the inconceivable", "he who cannot be imagined."
Analogous to 不思議.

隔靴掻痒

see styles
 kakkasouyou / kakkasoyo
    かっかそうよう
(yoji) being frustrated because something is not quite as hoped (just as one cannot scratch an itch from outside a shoe); having an itch that one cannot scratch

難以自已


难以自已

see styles
nán yǐ zì yǐ
    nan2 yi3 zi4 yi3
nan i tzu i
cannot control oneself (idiom); to be beside oneself

難辭其咎


难辞其咎

see styles
nán cí qí jiù
    nan2 ci2 qi2 jiu4
nan tz`u ch`i chiu
    nan tzu chi chiu
cannot escape censure (idiom); has to bear the blame

鞭長莫及


鞭长莫及

see styles
biān cháng mò jí
    bian1 chang2 mo4 ji2
pien ch`ang mo chi
    pien chang mo chi
lit. the whip cannot reach (idiom); beyond one's influence; too far to be able to help

顧此失彼


顾此失彼

see styles
gù cǐ shī bǐ
    gu4 ci3 shi1 bi3
ku tz`u shih pi
    ku tzu shih pi
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

馬鹿の壁

see styles
 bakanokabe
    ばかのかべ
(expression) the phenomenon that perfect reasoning fails if an idiot cannot understand it

ざるを得ぬ

see styles
 zaruoenu
    ざるをえぬ
(expression) (after the -nai stem of a verb) (See ざるを得ない) have to; have no choice but to; cannot help (doing); be compelled to; be obliged to; be forced to

ざる得ない

see styles
 zaruenai
    ざるえない
(exp,adj-i) (after the -nai stem of a verb) (See ざるを得ない) have to; have no choice but to; cannot help (doing); be compelled to; be obliged to; be forced to

なりません

see styles
 narimasen
    なりません
(expression) (1) cannot help (doing, etc.); cannot resist; cannot bear not to; (2) must not ...; should not ...; (3) must ...; have to ...; ought to ....

はずが無い

see styles
 hazuganai
    はずがない
(exp,adj-i) (kana only) cannot (do); it is impossible that...; it is (highly) unlikely that...

はずの無い

see styles
 hazunonai
    はずのない
(exp,adj-i) (kana only) cannot (do); it is impossible that...; it is (highly) unlikely that...

べからざる

see styles
 bekarazaru
    べからざる
(expression) (See 可からず) cannot; must not

べくもない

see styles
 bekumonai
    べくもない
(expression) cannot possibly be

やむ方なし

see styles
 yamukatanashi
    やむかたなし
(expression) (kana only) it cannot be helped; there is no other way

三世不可得

see styles
sān shì bù kě dé
    san1 shi4 bu4 ke3 de2
san shih pu k`o te
    san shih pu ko te
 sanze fukatoku
Everything past, present, future, whether mental or material, is intangible, fleeting, and cannot be held; v. 三世心.

三日ぼうず

see styles
 mikkabouzu / mikkabozu
    みっかぼうず
(yoji) person who cannot stick to anything; unsteady worker; monk for three days

三能三不能

see styles
sān néng sān bù néng
    san1 neng2 san1 bu4 neng2
san neng san pu neng
 sannō sanfunō
The three things possible and impossible to a Buddha. He can (a) have perfect knowledge of all things; (b) know all the natures of all beings, and fathom the affairs of countless ages; (c) save countless beings. But he cannot (a) annihilate causality, i.e. karma; (b) save unconditionally; (c) end the realm of the living.

不知者不罪

see styles
bù zhī zhě bù zuì
    bu4 zhi1 zhe3 bu4 zui4
pu chih che pu tsui
One who does not know is not guilty; If one does not know any better, one cannot be held responsible

君子遠庖廚


君子远庖厨

see styles
jun zǐ yuàn páo chú
    jun1 zi3 yuan4 pao2 chu2
chün tzu yüan p`ao ch`u
    chün tzu yüan pao chu
lit. a nobleman stays clear of the kitchen (idiom, from Mencius); fig. a nobleman who has seen a living animal cannot bear to see it die, hence he keeps away from the kitchen

大人の都合

see styles
 otonanotsugou / otonanotsugo
    おとなのつごう
(exp,n) (used when the actual reason for something cannot be disclosed) (See 大人の事情) certain reasons; certain circumstances; professional constraints; adult reasons

大恩不言謝


大恩不言谢

see styles
dà ēn bù yán xiè
    da4 en1 bu4 yan2 xie4
ta en pu yen hsieh
(maxim) a mere "thank you" is an insufficient response to a huge favor; (expression of gratitude) words cannot express my appreciation for what you have done

恩愛不能斷


恩爱不能断

see styles
ēn ài bù néng duàn
    en1 ai4 bu4 neng2 duan4
en ai pu neng tuan
 onai funōdan
the bonds of love cannot be severed

打ちのめす

see styles
 uchinomesu
    うちのめす
(transitive verb) (1) to knock (someone) down; to floor; to beat up; (transitive verb) (2) to deal a devastating blow (from which one cannot recover); to devastate (emotionally); to crush; to overwhelm; to defeat resoundingly; to give (an opponent) a drubbing

朽木不可雕

see styles
xiǔ mù bù kě diāo
    xiu3 mu4 bu4 ke3 diao1
hsiu mu pu k`o tiao
    hsiu mu pu ko tiao
lit. rotten wood cannot be carved (idiom); fig. you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear

止む方なし

see styles
 yamukatanashi
    やむかたなし
(expression) (kana only) it cannot be helped; there is no other way

比ではない

see styles
 hidehanai
    ひではない
(exp,adj-i) (as 〜の比ではない) being no match for; cannot be compared with

波羅夷四喩


波罗夷四喩

see styles
bō luó yí sì yú
    bo1 luo2 yi2 si4 yu2
po lo i ssu yü
 harai shiyu
The four metaphors addressed by the Buddha to monks are: he who breaks the vow of chastity is as a needle without an eye, a dead man, a broken stone which cannot be united, a tree cut in two which cannot live.

漢賊不兩立


汉贼不两立

see styles
hàn zéi bù liǎng lì
    han4 zei2 bu4 liang3 li4
han tsei pu liang li
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"

為ん方無い

see styles
 senkatanai
    せんかたない
(adjective) (1) it cannot be helped; there is no way; (2) (archaism) intolerable; unbearable

無風不起浪


无风不起浪

see styles
wú fēng bù qǐ làng
    wu2 feng1 bu4 qi3 lang4
wu feng pu ch`i lang
    wu feng pu chi lang
lit. without wind there cannot be waves (idiom); there must be a reason; no smoke without fire

獨木不成林


独木不成林

see styles
dú mù bù chéng lín
    du2 mu4 bu4 cheng2 lin2
tu mu pu ch`eng lin
    tu mu pu cheng lin
a lone tree does not make a forest (idiom); one cannot accomplish much on one's own

省略不可能

see styles
 shouryakufukanou / shoryakufukano
    しょうりゃくふかのう
{comp} mandatory; cannot be omitted

虎父無犬子


虎父无犬子

see styles
hǔ fù wú quǎn zǐ
    hu3 fu4 wu2 quan3 zi3
hu fu wu ch`üan tzu
    hu fu wu chüan tzu
lit. father a lion, son cannot be a dog (honorific); With a distinguished father such as you, the son is sure to do well.; like father, like son

行けません

see styles
 ikemasen
    いけません
(expression) (1) (kana only) (See いけない・1) wrong; not good; of no use; (expression) (2) (kana only) (See いけない・4) hopeless; past hope; (expression) (3) (kana only) (See いけない・2) must not do; (expression) (4) cannot go

身不可分別


身不可分别

see styles
shēn bù kě fēn bié
    shen1 bu4 ke3 fen1 bie2
shen pu k`o fen pieh
    shen pu ko fen pieh
 shin fuka funbetsu
(his) body cannot be differentiated

非一日之功

see styles
fēi yī rì zhī gōng
    fei1 yi1 ri4 zhi1 gong1
fei i jih chih kung
lit. cannot be done in one day (idiom); fig. will take much time and effort to accomplish

ざるを得ない

see styles
 zaruoenai
    ざるをえない
(exp,adj-i) (after the -nai stem of a verb) have to; have no choice but to; cannot help (doing); be compelled to; be obliged to; be forced to

ざる終えない

see styles
 zaruoenai
    ざるおえない
(exp,adj-i) (irregular form of ざるを得ない) (See ざるを得ない) have to; have no choice but to; cannot help (doing); be compelled to; be obliged to; be forced to

せざる得ない

see styles
 sezaruenai
    せざるえない
(exp,adj-i) (See ざる,せざるを得ない) cannot avoid doing; cannot help but (do); is compelled to do; (feel) obliged to (do); has to do

Variations:
べく杯
可杯

 bekuhai; bekusakazuki
    べくはい; べくさかずき
sake cup shaped so it cannot be put down until emptied

やむを得ない

see styles
 yamuoenai
    やむをえない
(expression) cannot be helped; unavoidable

やむ終えない

see styles
 yamuoenai
    やむおえない
(exp,adj-i) cannot be helped; unavoidable

やむ負えない

see styles
 yamuoenai
    やむおえない
(exp,adj-i) cannot be helped; unavoidable

やもう得ない

see styles
 yamouenai / yamoenai
    やもうえない
(exp,adj-i) (incorrect variant of やむを得ない) (See やむを得ない) cannot be helped; unavoidable

三世心不可得

see styles
sān shì xīn bù kě dé
    san1 shi4 xin1 bu4 ke3 de2
san shih hsin pu k`o te
    san shih hsin pu ko te
 sanze shin fukatoku
The mind or thought, past, present, future, cannot be held fast; the past is gone, the future not arrived, the present does not stay.

人是鐵飯是鋼


人是铁饭是钢

see styles
rén shì tiě fàn shì gāng
    ren2 shi4 tie3 fan4 shi4 gang1
jen shih t`ieh fan shih kang
    jen shih tieh fan shih kang
one can't function properly on an empty stomach (idiom); an empty sack cannot stand upright

如來佛的掌心


如来佛的掌心

see styles
rú lái fó de zhǎng xīn
    ru2 lai2 fo2 de5 zhang3 xin1
ju lai fo te chang hsin
the palm of the Buddha's hand (a metaphor for a higher authority or force from whose control one cannot break free, from 西遊記|西游记[Xi1 you2 ji4], "Journey to the West")

宣命を含める

see styles
 senmyouofukumeru / senmyoofukumeru
    せんみょうをふくめる
(exp,v1) (archaism) to make someone understand their fate; to reason with; to persuade; to deliver an imperial edict (which cannot be refused)

已むを得ない

see styles
 yamuoenai
    やむをえない
(expression) cannot be helped; unavoidable

Variations:
形テン
形聴

 keiten; keeten(sk); keiten(sk) / keten; keeten(sk); keten(sk)
    けいテン; ケーテン(sk); ケイテン(sk)
(abbreviation) {mahj} (See 形式聴牌) yaku-less tenpai; hand that is one tile from completion but cannot satisfy a standard win condition

惚れたが因果

see styles
 horetagainga
    ほれたがいんが
(expression) (proverb) no matter how unfortunate it is, you cannot stop love; falling in love is an unfortunate fate

是非に及ばず

see styles
 zehinioyobazu
    ぜひにおよばず
(expression) unavoidable; inevitable; cannot be helped; of necessity

止むかたなし

see styles
 yamukatanashi
    やむかたなし
(expression) (kana only) it cannot be helped; there is no other way

止むを得ない

see styles
 yamuoenai
    やむをえない
(expression) cannot be helped; unavoidable

止む終えない

see styles
 yamuoenai
    やむおえない
(exp,adj-i) cannot be helped; unavoidable

止む負えない

see styles
 yamuoenai
    やむおえない
(exp,adj-i) cannot be helped; unavoidable

氷炭相容れず

see styles
 hyoutanaiirezu / hyotanairezu
    ひょうたんあいいれず
(expression) (proverb) (See 相容れない・あいいれない) having completely different natures and being incompatible with each other; like oil and water; ice and (charcoal) fire cannot coexist

群盲象を評す

see styles
 gunmouzouohyousu / gunmozoohyosu
    ぐんもうぞうをひょうす
(exp,v5s) (proverb) (sensitive word) (See 群盲象を撫でる) the mediocre cannot understand the great

肌が合わない

see styles
 hadagaawanai / hadagawanai
    はだがあわない
(exp,adj-i) cannot go together (with)

腑に落ちない

see styles
 funiochinai
    ふにおちない
(exp,adj-i) cannot understand; doesn't make sense; unconvincing; hard to swallow; doesn't ring true

譬喩所不能及

see styles
pì yù suǒ bù néng jí
    pi4 yu4 suo3 bu4 neng2 ji2
p`i yü so pu neng chi
    pi yü so pu neng chi
 hiyu shofunō kyū
metaphor cannot express it

迚も(rK)

 totemo(p); tottemo
    とても(P); とっても
(adverb) (1) (kana only) (とっても is more emphatic) very; awfully; exceedingly; (adverb) (2) (kana only) (before a negative form) (not) at all; by no means; simply (cannot)

追い出し部屋

see styles
 oidashibeya
    おいだしべや
(colloquialism) (See 追い出し・おいだし・1) expulsion room; banishment room; boredom room; rooms where employees who cannot be fired are sent to encourage resignation

飯が食えない

see styles
 meshigakuenai
    めしがくえない
(exp,adj-i) cannot make a living

せざるを得ない

see styles
 sezaruoenai
    せざるをえない
(exp,adj-i) (See ざる) cannot avoid doing; cannot help but (do); is compelled to do; (feel) obliged to (do); has to do

どう仕様もない

see styles
 doushiyoumonai / doshiyomonai
    どうしようもない
(exp,adj-i) (kana only) it cannot be helped; there is no other way

どう仕様も無い

see styles
 doushiyoumonai / doshiyomonai
    どうしようもない
(exp,adj-i) (kana only) it cannot be helped; there is no other way

一個巴掌拍不響


一个巴掌拍不响

see styles
yī ge bā zhǎng pāi bù xiǎng
    yi1 ge5 ba1 zhang3 pai1 bu4 xiang3
i ko pa chang p`ai pu hsiang
    i ko pa chang pai pu hsiang
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

一口吃不成胖子

see styles
yī kǒu chī bù chéng pàng zi
    yi1 kou3 chi1 bu4 cheng2 pang4 zi5
i k`ou ch`ih pu ch`eng p`ang tzu
    i kou chih pu cheng pang tzu
lit. you cannot get fat with only one mouthful (proverb); fig. any significant achievement requires time, effort and persistence

両雄並び立たず

see styles
 ryouyuunarabitatazu / ryoyunarabitatazu
    りょうゆうならびたたず
(expression) (proverb) if two ride upon a horse, one must sit behind; when Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war; two great rivals cannot coexist

乗りかかった船

see styles
 norikakattafune
    のりかかったふね
(expression) already embarked (and hence cannot go back); already started

乗り掛かった船

see styles
 norikakattafune
    のりかかったふね
(expression) already embarked (and hence cannot go back); already started

Variations:
何条
何じょう

 nanjou / nanjo
    なんじょう
(adverb) (1) what street? (esp. in Kyoto and Sapporo); (adverb) (2) what article? (in a law); (adverb) (3) (archaism) (the 条 in 何条 is an ateji) how can?; cannot possibly; there is no way

Entries with 2nd row of characters: The 2nd row is Simplified Chinese.

<12345>

This page contains 100 results for "Cannot" in Chinese and/or Japanese.



Information about this dictionary:

Apparently, we were the first ones who were crazy enough to think that western people might want a combined Chinese, Japanese, and Buddhist dictionary.

A lot of westerners can't tell the difference between Chinese and Japanese - and there is a reason for that. Chinese characters and even whole words were borrowed by Japan from the Chinese language in the 5th century. Much of the time, if a word or character is used in both languages, it will have the same or a similar meaning. However, this is not always true. Language evolves, and meanings independently change in each language.

Example: The Chinese character 湯 for soup (hot water) has come to mean bath (hot water) in Japanese. They have the same root meaning of "hot water", but a 湯屋 sign on a bathhouse in Japan would lead a Chinese person to think it was a "soup house" or a place to get a bowl of soup. See this: Japanese Bath House

This dictionary uses the EDICT and CC-CEDICT dictionary files.
EDICT data is the property of the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group, and is used in conformance with the Group's license.

Chinese Buddhist terms come from Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms by William Edward Soothill and Lewis Hodous. This is commonly referred to as "Soothill's'". It was first published in 1937 (and is now off copyright so we can use it here). Some of these definitions may be misleading, incomplete, or dated, but 95% of it is good information. Every professor who teaches Buddhism or Eastern Religion has a copy of this on their bookshelf. We incorporated these 16,850 entries into our dictionary database ourselves (it was lot of work).



Combined, these cover 1,007,753 Japanese, Chinese, and Buddhist characters, words, idioms, names, placenames, and short phrases.

Just because a word appears here does not mean it is appropriate for a tattoo, your business name, etc. Please consult a professional before doing anything stupid with this data.

We do offer Chinese and Japanese Tattoo Services. We'll also be happy to help you translate something for other purposes.

No warranty as to the correctness, potential vulgarity, or clarity is expressed or implied. We did not write any of these definitions (though we occasionally act as a contributor/editor to the CC-CEDICT project). You are using this dictionary for free, and you get what you pay for.

The following titles are just to help people who are searching for an Asian dictionary to find this page.

Japanese Kanji Dictionary

Free Asian Dictionary

Chinese Kanji Dictionary

Chinese Words Dictionary

Chinese Language Dictionary

Japanese Chinese Dictionary