Grammar · 语法 yǔfǎ

可能

kěnéng

The all-purpose word for possibility: maybe as an adverb, possible as an adjective, a possibility as a noun, where each role sits in the sentence, and how it ranks against the more tentative 也许 and the more confident 大概.

~4 min read

字源 zìyuán Etymology & Structure

字源洞见 zìyuán dòngjiàn · Etymological Insight

可 kě means "can, may, permissible," a word of sanction and possibility (its sense in 可以 may, 可怕 fearsome, "able to frighten"). 能 néng means "to be able, capacity," its old form a pictograph of a bear, an emblem of strength and power that came to mean ability. Together 可能 reads as "can-be-able," what is within the range of the possible: possibility itself.

The two characters anchor large families. 可 gives 可以 kěyǐ (may, can), 可是 kěshì (but), 可爱 kě'ài (lovable, "able to be loved"). 能 gives 能力 nénglì (ability), 能够 nénggòu (to be able to), 可能 (possible). The pairing 可能 fuses permission and capacity into the plain idea of "it could be."

可能 kěnéng One Word, Three Roles

可能 kěnéng maybe (adv); possible (adj); possibility (n)

Adv/Adj/N 多功能 duō gōngnéng

One word, three jobs. As an adverb it softens a statement to "maybe / possibly" and sits before the verb. As an adjective it means "possible" and follows 是 or modifies a noun. As a noun it means "a possibility" and pairs with 有 ("there's a possibility"). Degree words scale it: 很可能 ("very likely"), 不太可能 ("unlikely"), 不可能 ("impossible").

他可能忘了。

Tā kěnéng wàng le.

He might have forgotten.

这是完全可能的。

Zhè shì wánquán kěnéng de.

This is entirely possible.

有没有这个可能？

Yǒu méiyǒu zhège kěnéng?

Is there this possibility?

用法 yòngfǎ Patterns — Adverb, Adjective, Noun

可能 in use · the core patterns 可能 + Verb Phrase , 可能会迟到 · might be late (adverb)
很 / 不太 / 不 + 可能 , 很可能 · very likely; 不可能 · impossible
是 + 可能的 , 这是可能的 · this is possible (adjective)
有 + (这个) 可能 , 有可能 · there's a possibility (noun)
可能…，也可能… , maybe…, or maybe… (weighing options)

可能会 kěnéng huì might; may well (possibility + likelihood)

A very common stack: 可能 ("possibly") plus the modal 会 ("will / be likely to"), giving "might, may well." 明天可能会变冷 ("it might turn cold tomorrow"). The 会 adds the sense of a future tendency, so 可能会 feels a touch more about what is likely to happen, while bare 可能 just flags that something is possible.

他可能会不同意。

Tā kěnéng huì bù tóngyì.

He might disagree.

不可能 bù kěnéng impossible; cannot be

The flat negation, "impossible, no way." 这不可能 ("this is impossible"), 不可能的事 ("an impossible thing"). It is strong and absolute, unlike the softer 不太可能 ("unlikely") which leaves a sliver of chance. As an exclamation, 不可能！means "no way! / that can't be!"

一天学会中文是不可能的。

Yì tiān xuéhuì Zhōngwén shì bù kěnéng de.

Learning Chinese in a day is impossible.

辨析 biànxī Degrees of Guessing

辨析 biànxī · Distinguishing the Words

A cluster of words turns a statement into a guess, and they differ in confidence and tone. 可能 kěnéng is the neutral default, plain "maybe / possibly," and uniquely also serves as adjective and noun. 也许 yěxǔ and 或许 huòxǔ both mean "perhaps," softer and more tentative, often a touch literary, the words of genuine uncertainty: 也许吧 ("perhaps so"). 大概 dàgài means "probably," a higher-confidence guess, and doubles as "approximately" for amounts: 大概十个 ("about ten").

应该 yīnggāi, in its inference sense, is the most confident of the soft guesses, "should be / I'm fairly sure": 他应该到了 ("he should have arrived"). And 会 huì marks likelihood or future certainty rather than mere possibility, which is why 会下雨 ("it's going to rain") sounds surer than 可能下雨 ("it might rain"). A rough ladder of confidence: 也许 (perhaps, unsure) → 可能 (maybe) → 大概 (probably) → 应该 (should be) → 会 (will). Pick the rung that matches how sure you are.

成语 chéngyǔ Set Phrases

无能为力 wú néng wéi lì powerless to do anything; unable to help Literally "without the ability to exert force," to be powerless in the face of something, beyond what one can do. The 能 of capacity is the same that anchors 可能. Used when a situation is past one's power to change.

力所能及 lì suǒ néng jí within one's power; as far as one is able Literally "what one's strength can reach," the things that lie within one's ability to do. The bright mirror of 无能为力: 我会尽力所能及 ("I'll do all I can"). Again built on 能, the capacity at the root of "possible."

不可思议 bù kě sī yì inconceivable; unimaginable Literally "cannot be thought or discussed," beyond comprehension, originally a Buddhist term for the ineffable. Here 可 ("can / possible"), the first character of 可能, takes its sense of "able to be": what cannot possibly be grasped by thought.