"May" • Chinese-English Dictionary

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 Wǔ yuè May / fifth month (of the lunar year)
 wǔ yuè fèn May
 gāo jīn sù méi May
 kě yǐ can / may / possible / able to / not bad / pretty good
 yào important / vital / to want / to ask for / will / going to (as future auxiliary) / may / must / (used in a comparison) must be / probably / if
 yǒu kě néng possible / probable / possibly / probably / may / might
 kě can / may / able to / to approve / to permit / to suit / (particle used for emphasis) certainly / very
 kān to endure / may / can
 bù dé must not / may not / not to be allowed / cannot
 qǐng wèn Excuse me, may I ask...?
 jiāng huì auxiliary verb introducing future action: may (be able to) / will (cause) / should (enable) / going to
 duō me how (wonderful etc) / what (a great idea etc) / however (difficult it may be etc) / (in interrogative sentences) how (much etc) / to what extent
 bù kě yǐ may not
 xiǎng lái it may be assumed that
 jìn dài the not-very-distant past / modern times, excluding recent decades / (in the context of Chinese history) the period from the Opium Wars until the May 4th Movement (mid-19th century to 1919) / capitalist times (pre-1949)
 kě yán it may be said
 wǔ sì fourth of May, cf 五四運動|五四运动, national renewal movement that started with 4th May 1919 protest against the Treaty of Versailles
 jiǎn chá guān public prosecutor / public procurator (judicial officer whose job may involve both criminal investigation and public prosecution)
 bù shī wéi can still be considered (to be...) / may after all be accepted as
 fèi xīn to take a lot of trouble (over sb or sth) / may I trouble you (to do sth)
 biàn zi plait / braid / pigtail / a mistake or shortcoming that may be exploited by an opponent / handle / CL:根[gen1],條|条[tiao2]
 wàn shì rú yì to have all one's wishes (idiom) / best wishes / all the best / may all your hopes be fulfilled
 fèng quàn may I offer a bit of advice
 hǎi xuǎn (in elections for village committees in the PRC since the 1990s) unrestricted nomination, a type of election where 1. everyone in the community is eligible to nominate somebody 2. voting is done by writing the name of one's nominee on the ballot, and 3. one's nominee can be anyone in the community (Nominees who receive the highest number of votes may be thereby elected or, more often, presented as the candidates in a further round of voting.) / (in other contexts) selection of the best contender in a process open to all comers / (in the entertainment industry) open audition
 yīn yì transliteration (rendering phonetic value, e.g. of English words in Chinese characters) / characters giving phonetic value of Chinese word or name (when the correct characters may be unknown) / transcription (linguistics) / to transcribe phonetic symbols
 bǎo bu zhù cannot maintain (sth) / unable to keep / more likely than not / may well
 shāng qí business is auspicious / conventional greeting at the foot of a letter: May your business go well!
 Wǔ sì Yùn dòng May Fourth Movement / Chinese national renewal movement that started with 4th May 1919 protest against the Treaty of Versailles
 fèi shén to spend effort / to take trouble / May I trouble you to...? (as part of polite request) / Please would you mind...?
 Gǔ yǔ Guyu or Grain Rain, 6th of the 24 solar terms 二十四節氣|二十四节气 / 20th April-4th May
 Lì xià Lixia or Start of Summer, 7th of the 24 solar terms 二十四節氣|二十四节气 / 5th-20th May
 gāng fēng in Daoism, astral wind on which immortals may ride / strong wind
 jiè wèn (honorific) May I ask?
 bù dǎ bù xiāng shí lit. don't fight, won't make friends (idiom) / an exchange of blows may lead to friendship / no discord, no concord
 chá yè dàn tea egg (egg boiled with flavorings which may include black tea)
 bǎi nián hǎo hé may you live a long and happy life together (wedding greeting)
 píng shēn (old) to stand up (after kowtowing) / You may rise.
 gàn xiào school for cadres / May 7 Cadre School 五七幹校|五七干校[Wu3 Qi1 Gan4 xiao4]
 Guó jì Láo dòng Jié May Day / International Labor Day (May 1)
 miǎn lǐ (formal) you may dispense with curtseying
 huò cóng kǒu chū Trouble issues from the mouth (idiom). A loose tongue may cause a lot of trouble.
 cōng míng fǎn bèi cōng míng wù a clever person may become the victim of his own ingenuity (idiom) / cleverness may overreach itself / too smart for one's own good
 wèi shǐ not necessarily / may not turn out to be / maybe not
 duàn zǐ jué sūn to die without progeny / (offensive) may you die childless / may you be the last of your family line
寿 wàn shòu wú jiāng may you enjoy boundless longevity (idiom) / long may you live
 gǎn to dare / daring / (polite) may I venture
 o sentence-final particle that conveys informality, warmth, friendliness or intimacy / may also indicate that one is stating a fact that the other person is not aware of
 E1 mí tuó Fó Amitabha Buddha / the Buddha of the Western paradise / may the lord Buddha preserve us! / merciful Buddha!
 tiān yǒu bù cè fēng yún fortune as unpredictable as the weather (idiom) / sth unexpected may happen at any moment
 yī shī zú chéng qiān gǔ hèn a single slip may cause everlasting sorrow (idiom)
 fú rú Dōng Hǎi may your happiness be as immense as the East Sea (idiom)
 bìng cóng kǒu rù Illness enters by the mouth (idiom). Mind what you eat! / fig. A loose tongue may cause a lot of trouble.
 bù qíng zhī qǐng my presumptuous request (humble expr.) / if I may be so bold to ask a favor
 gāng bamboos placed across wooden frames on which grain may be stored in damp climates
 bù dǎ bù chéng xiāng shí don't fight, won't make friends (idiom) / an exchange of blows may lead to friendship
 qiān lu:4 yī dé a thousand tries leads to one success (idiom, humble expr.) / Even without any notable ability on my part, I may still get it right sometimes by good luck.
 zuò bù chuí táng lit. don't sit under the eaves (where tiles may fall from the roof) (idiom) / fig. keep out of danger
寿 shòu bǐ Nán Shān Live as long as the Zhongnan Mountains! (idiom) / Long may you live!
 duō nàn xīng bāng much hardships may awaken a nation (idiom) / calamity that prompts renewal
 dà yǒng ruò qiè a great hero may appear timid (idiom) / the really brave person remains level-headed
 dà zhì rú yú the wise may appear stupid (idiom) / a genius not appreciated in his own time
 dà zhì ruò yú great intelligence may appear to be stupidity (idiom)
 guā tián bù nà lu:3 lit. don't tie your shoe-laces in a melon-patch / fig. don't do anything that might arouse suspicion / innocent acts may be misconstrued
 chèng tuó suī xiǎo yā qiān jīn although small, a steelyard weight may tip a hundred pounds (idiom) / apparently insignificant details can have a large impact / for want of a nail the battle was lost
 jī fēi chéng shì a wrong repeated becomes right (idiom) / a lie or an error passed on for a long time may be taken for the truth
 ǒu duàn sī lián lit. lotus roots may break, but the fiber remains joined (idiom) / lovers part, but still long for one another
 zhī rén zhī miàn bù zhī xīn one may know a person for a long time without understanding his true nature (idiom)
 gōng xǐ fā cái May you have a prosperous New Year! (New Year's greeting)
 lǎo jì fú lì zhì zài qiān lǐ (lit.) an old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop 1000 li / (fig.) old people may still cherish high aspirations
 Yuè jīng Book of Music, said to be one of the Six Classics lost after Qin's burning of the books in 212 BC, but may simply refer to Book of Songs 詩經|诗经
 yī bù zuò , èr bù xiū lit. either don't do it, or don't rest (idiom) / fig. if you do it at all, you may as well go the whole hog / in for a penny, in for a pound
 bù wèn hǎo dǎi no matter what may happen (idiom)
 wǔ qī gàn xiào May 7 cadre school (farm where urban cadres had to undertake manual labor and study ideology during the Cultural Revolution) (abbr. for 五七幹部學校|五七干部学校[Wu3 Qi1 Gan4 bu4 Xue2 xiao4])
 wǔ qī gàn bù xué xiào May 7 Cadre School (farm where urban cadres had to undertake manual labor and study ideology during the Cultural Revolution) (abbr. to 五七幹校|五七干校[Wu3 Qi1 Gan4 xiao4])
 wǔ sà yùn dòng anti-imperialist movement of 30th May 1925, involving general strike esp. in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong etc
 wǔ sì ài guó yùn dòng May Fourth Movement / Chinese national renewal movement that started with 4th May 1919 protest against the Treaty of Versailles
 dòng wèn may I ask
 qiān lǐ zhī dī , kuì yú yǐ xué an ant hole may cause the collapse of a great dike (idiom) / huge damage may result from a moment's negligence
 zhǐ xǔ zhōu guān fàng huǒ , bù xǔ bǎi xìng diǎn dēng only the official is allowed to light the fire / Gods may do what cattle may not / quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi
 xǐ zé qì huǎn joy depresses one's qi vital breath / an excess of joy may lead to sluggishness of vital energy (TCM)
 dà yǒng ruò qiè , dà zhì ruò yú a great hero may appear timid, the wise may appear stupid (idiom) / the general public may not recognize great talent
 tiān yǒu bù cè fēng yún , rén yǒu dàn xī huò fú fortune as unpredictable as the weather, every day may bring fortune or calamity (idiom) / sth unexpected may happen at any moment
 Chuān zhèn Sichuan great earthquake, the magnitude 8 earthquake of May 2008 at Wenchuan 汶川, Sichuan, that killed more than 80,000 people / same as 四川大地震[Si4 chuan1 Da4 di4 zhen4]
 xíng chǒu xīn shàn an ugly face may hide a virtuous heart (idiom)
 héng zhí (colloquial) whatever / come what may
 suì suì píng ān May you have peace year after year (New Year's greeting)
绿 mǔ dan suī hǎo , quán zhàng lu:4 yè fú Although the peony is beautiful, it depends entirely on help from the green leaves (idiom). However brilliant you may be, you can't do anything without support from others.
绿 mǔ dan suī hǎo , quán píng lu:4 yè fú chí Although the peony is beautiful, it depends entirely on help from the green leaves (idiom). However brilliant you may be, you can't do anything without support from others.
 Lí jiān Han dynasty name for countries in far West / may refer to Silk Road states or Alexandria or the Roman empire
 bìng cóng kǒu rù , huò cóng kǒu chū Illness enters by the mouth, trouble comes out by the mouth (idiom). A loose tongue may cause a lot of trouble.
 Huáng zú nèi gé Qing emergency cabinet set up in May 1911 to confront the Xinhai rebels
 lǎo jì fú lì , zhì zài qiān lǐ lit. an old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop 1000 miles (idiom) / fig. old people may still cherish high aspirations
便便 yù rén fāng biàn , zì jǐ fāng biàn Help others, and others may help you (idiom).
 huà suī rú cǐ be that as it may
 má què suī xiǎo , wǔ zàng jù quán the sparrow may be small but all its vital organs are there (idiom) / small but complete in every detail
 xùn dú a reading of a written Chinese word derived from a synonym (typically, a vernacular synonym) (e.g. in Mandarin, 投子[tou2 zi5] may be pronounced as its synonym 色子[shai3 zi5], and in Wu dialects, 二 / is pronounced as its synonym 兩|两 / "liahn") / to pronounce a word using such a reading / (Japanese linguistics) kun-reading, a pronunciation of a kanji derived from a native Japanese word that matches its meaning rather than from the pronunciation of the character in a Sinitic language at the time it was imported from China (Note: A kun-reading of a character is distinguished from its on-reading(s) 音讀|音读[yin1 du2]. For example, 山 / has a kun-reading "yama" and an on-reading "san".)
 huáng liǔ shuāng Anna May Wong (1905-1961), Chinese American Hollywood actress
5月5日  5 May Agreement
  Guidelines for the Assessment of Wastes or Other Matter that May be Considered for Dumping
1991年5月  Status Agreement of May 1991
Chinese Tones