| 不许 | bù xǔ | not to allow / must not / can't |   |
| 无可 | wú kě | can't | |
| 不兴 | bù xīng | out of fashion / outmoded / impermissible / can't | |
| 那个 | nà ge | that one / that thing / that (as opposed to this) / (used before a verb or adjective for emphasis) / (used to humorously or indirectly refer to sth embarrassing, funny etc, or when one can't think of the right word) / (used in speech as a filler, similar to "umm", "you know" etc) / (euph.) menstruation / sex / also pr. [nei4 ge5] | |
| 不得不 | bù dé bù | have no choice or option but to / cannot but / have to / can't help it / can't avoid | |
| 找不到 | zhǎo bu dào | can't find | |
| 能否 | néng fǒu | whether or not / can it or can't it / is it possible? | |
| 不禁 | bù jīn | can't help (doing sth) / can't refrain from | |
| 没办法 | méi bàn fǎ | there is nothing to be done / one can't do anything about it | |
| 不由 | bù yóu | can't help (doing sth) | |
| 没错 | méi cuò | that's right / sure! / rest assured! / that's good / can't go wrong | |
| 说不定 | shuō bu dìng | can't say for sure / maybe | |
| 感冒 | gǎn mào | to catch cold / (common) cold / CL:場|场[chang2],次[ci4] / (coll.) to be interested in (often used in the negative) / (Tw) to detest / can't stand | |
| 看不出 | kàn bu chū | can't discern | |
| 不由得 | bù yóu de | can't help / cannot but | |
| 没有办法 | méi yǒu bàn fǎ | there is nothing to be done / one can't do anything about it | |
| 受不了 | shòu bù liǎo | unbearable / unable to endure / can't stand | |
| 不由自主 | bù yóu zì zhǔ | (idiom) can't help but / involuntarily | |
| 未免 | wèi miǎn | unavoidably / can't help / really / rather | |
| 听不到 | tīng bu dào | can't hear | |
| 比不上 | bǐ bù shàng | can't compare with | |
| 禁不住 | jīn bu zhù | can't help it / can't bear it | |
| 免不了 | miǎn bù liǎo | unavoidable / can't be avoided | |
| 经不起 | jīng bu qǐ | can't stand it / to be unable to bear / to be unable to resist | |
| 难保 | nán bǎo | hard to say / can't guarantee / difficult to protect / difficult to preserve | |
| 赶不上 | gǎn bù shàng | can't keep up with / can't catch up with / cannot overtake | |
| 办不到 | bàn bu dào | impossible / can't be done / no can do / unable to accomplish | |
| 说不准 | shuō bù zhǔn | unable to say / can't say precisely | |
| 记不住 | jì bu zhù | can't remember | |
| 缺一不可 | quē yī bù kě | not a single one is dispensable / can't do without either | |
| 见不得 | jiàn bu dé | not fit to be seen by / should not be exposed to / can't bear to see | |
| 摸不着 | mō bu zháo | can't touch / can't reach / (fig.) unable to get a grasp of | |
| 惹不起 | rě bu qǐ | can't afford to offend / dare not provoke / difficult to deal with / insufferable | |
| 拗不过 | niù bu guò | can't persuade / unable to make (sb) change their mind / unable to resist (sb) | |
| 真怪 | zhēn guài | odd / unusual / I can't believe that ... | |
| 人不可貌相 | rén bù kě mào xiàng | you can't judge a person by appearance (idiom) / you can't judge a book by its cover / often in combination 人不可貌相，海水不可斗量[ren2 bu4 ke3 mao4 xiang4 , hai3 shui3 bu4 ke3 dou3 liang2] | |
| 饥不择食 | jī bù zé shí | when hungry, you can't pick what you eat (idiom) / beggars can't be choosers / When matters are urgent, don't spend time choosing alternatives. | |
| 吃不了兜着走 | chī bu liǎo dōu zhe zǒu | lit. if you can't eat it all, you'll have to take it home (idiom) / fig. you'll have to take the consequences | |
| 鱼与熊掌 | yú yǔ xióng zhǎng | lit. the fish and the bear's paw, you can't have both at the same time (idiom, from Mencius) / fig. you must choose one or the other / you can't always get everything you want / you can't have your cake and eat it | |
| 架不住 | jià bu zhù | (coll.) unable to withstand / cannot bear / can't stand it / no match for | |
| 天网恢恢 | tiān wǎng huī huī | lit. heaven's net has wide meshes, but nothing escapes it (idiom, from Laozi 73) / fig. the way of Heaven is fair, but the guilty will not escape / you can't run from the long arm of the law | |
| 高不成低不就 | gāo bù chéng dī bù jiù | can't reach the high or accept the low (idiom) / not good enough for a high post, but too proud to take a low one | |
| 纸包不住火 | zhǐ bāo bù zhù huǒ | lit. paper can't wrap fire / fig. the truth will out | |
| 买不起 | mǎi bu qǐ | cannot afford / can't afford buying | |
| 感激不尽 | gǎn jī bù jìn | can't thank sb enough (idiom) | |
| 欲罢不能 | yù bà bù néng | want to stop but can't (idiom) / to be unable to stop oneself / to feel an urge to continue | |
| 无坚不摧 | wú jiān bù cuī | no stronghold one cannot overcome (idiom) / to conquer every obstacle / nothing one can't do / to carry everything before one | |
| 欲速则不达 | yù sù zé bù dá | (idiom) (the Analects) haste makes waste / things can't be rushed | |
| 一叶障目 | yī yè zhàng mù | lit. eyes obscured by a single leaf (idiom) / fig. not seeing the wider picture / can't see the wood for the trees | |
| 不经一事不长一智 | bù jīng yī shì bù zhǎng yī zhì | you can't gain knowledge without practice / wisdom comes from experience | |
| 不知凡几 | bù zhī fán jǐ | one can't tell how many / numerous similar cases | |
| 不经一事 | bù jīng yī shì | You can't gain knowledge without practical experience (idiom) / wisdom only comes with experience | |
| 不识泰山 | bù shí Tài Shān | can't recognize Mt Taishan (idiom) / fig. not to recognize a famous person | |
| 不识高低 | bù shí gāo dī | can't recognize tall or short (idiom) / doesn't know what's what | |
| 动辄得咎 | dòng zhé dé jiù | faulted at every turn (idiom) / can't get anything right | |
| 同日而语 | tóng rì ér yǔ | lit. to speak of two things on the same day (idiom) / to mention things on equal terms (often with negatives: you can't mention X at the same time as Y) | |
| 咬人狗儿不露齿 | yǎo rén gǒu r bù lù chǐ | lit. the dog that bites does not show its fangs (idiom) / fig. You can't tell the really dangerous enemy from his external appearance. | |
| 戴盆望天 | dài pén wàng tiān | lit. viewing the sky with a basin on one's head / it is hard to get a clear view of the sky while carrying a platter on one's head / fig. it is hard to get on in one's career while encumbered by family obligations / one can't perform a major task while bothered by other duties | |
| 有目无睹 | yǒu mù wú dǔ | has eyes but can't see (idiom) / unable or unwilling to see the importance of sth / blind (to sth great) | |
| 本性难移 | běn xìng nán yí | It is hard to change one's essential nature (idiom). You can't change who you are. / Can the leopard change his spots? (Jeremiah 13:23) | |
| 无征不信 | wú zhēng bù xìn | without proof one can't believe it (idiom) | |
| 生米做成熟饭 | shēng mǐ zuò chéng shú fàn | lit. the raw rice is now cooked (idiom) / fig. it is done and can't be changed / It's too late to change anything now. / also written 生米煮成熟飯|生米煮成熟饭 | |
| 真伪莫辨 | zhēn wěi mò biàn | can't judge true or false (idiom) / unable to distinguish the genuine from the fake / not to know whether to believe (what one reads in the news) | |
| 覆水难收 | fù shuǐ nán shōu | spilt water is difficult to retrieve (idiom) / it's no use crying over spilt milk / what's done is done and can't be reversed / the damage is done / once divorced, there's no reuniting | |
| 跋前踬后 | bá qián zhì hòu | to trip forwards or stumble back (idiom, from Book of Songs) / can't get anything right | |
| 高不凑低不就 | gāo bù còu dī bù jiù | can't reach the high or accept the low (idiom) / not good enough for a high post, but too proud to take a low one | |
| 鹬蚌相争渔翁得利 | yù bàng xiāng zhēng yú wēng dé lì | lit. sandpiper and clam war together and the fisherman catches both (idiom) / fig. neighbors who can't agree lose out to a third party | |
| 未敢苟同 | wèi gǎn gǒu tóng | can't agree with | |
| 闻名不如见面 | wén míng bù rú jiàn miàn | knowing sb by their reputation can't compare to meeting them in person (idiom) | |
| 跳进黄河洗不清 | tiào jìn Huáng Hé xǐ bù qīng | lit. even jumping into the Yellow River can't get you clean / fig. to become inexorably mixed up / mired in controversy / in deep trouble | |
| 口说无凭 | kǒu shuō wú píng | (idiom) you can't rely on a verbal agreement / just because sb says sth, doesn't mean it's true | |
| 于心不忍 | yú xīn bù rěn | can't bear to | |
| 不好说 | bù hǎo shuō | hard to say / can't be sure / difficult to speak about / unpleasant to say | |
| 不经一事，不长一智 | bù jīng yī shì , bù zhǎng yī zhì | lit. you can't gain knowledge without practical experience (idiom) / fig. wisdom only comes with experience | |
| 不开窍 | bù kāi qiào | unable to understand / can't get the point | |
| 人不可貌相，海水不可斗量 | rén bù kě mào xiàng , hǎi shuǐ bù kě dǒu liáng | you can't judge a person by appearance, just as you can't measure the sea with a pint pot (idiom) | |
| 人在江湖，身不由己 | rén zài jiāng hú , shēn bù yóu jǐ | (proverb) you can't always do as you like / one has to compromise in this world | |
| 千金难买 | qiān jīn nán mǎi | can't be bought for one thousand in gold (idiom) | |
| 吃不到葡萄说葡萄酸 | chī bù dào pú tao shuō pú tao suān | sour grapes (set expr. based on Aesop) / lit. to say grapes are sour when you can't eat them | |
| 四体不勤，五谷不分 | sì tǐ bù qín , wǔ gǔ bù fēn | never move your four limbs, can't distinguish the five crops (idiom) / living as a parasite | |
| 城门失火，殃及池鱼 | chéng mén shī huǒ , yāng jí chí yú | a fire in the city gates is also a calamity for the fish in the moat (idiom) / the bystander will also suffer / fig. you can't escape responsibility for your actions / ask not for whom the bell tolls - it tolls for thee | |
| 天网恢恢，疏而不失 | tiān wǎng huī huī , shū ér bù shī | lit. heaven's net has wide meshes, but nothing escapes it (idiom, from Laozi 73) / fig. the way of Heaven is fair, but the guilty will not escape / you can't run from the long arm of the law | |
| 天要落雨，娘要嫁人 | tiān yào luò yǔ , niáng yào jià rén | the rain will fall, the womenfolk will marry (idiom) / fig. the natural order of things / something you can't go against | |
| 寸金难买寸光阴 | cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīn | An ounce of gold can't buy you an interval of time (idiom) / Money can't buy you time. / Time is precious. | |
| 对不上 | duì bù shàng | to disagree / I can't agree with that. | |
| 师父领进门，修行在个人 | shī fu lǐng jìn mén , xiū xíng zài gè rén | the master leads you to the door, the rest is up to you / you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink | |
| 战无不胜，攻无不克 | zhàn wú bù shèng , gōng wú bù kè | to triumph in every battle and win every fight (idiom) / all-conquering / ever victorious / nothing they can't do | |
| 战无不胜，攻无不取 | zhàn wú bù shèng , gōng wú bù qǔ | to triumph in every battle and win every fight (idiom) / all-conquering / ever victorious / nothing they can't do | |
| 攻无不克，战无不胜 | gōng wú bù kè , zhàn wú bù shèng | to triumph in every battle and win every fight (idiom) / all-conquering / ever victorious / nothing they can't do | |
| 既来之，则安之 | jì lái zhī , zé ān zhī | Since they have come, we should make them comfortable (idiom). Since we're here, take it easy. / Since this is so, we should accept it. / Now we have come, let's stay and take the rough with the smooth. / If you can't do anything to prevent it, you might as well sit back and enjoy it. | |
| 江山易改，本性难移 | jiāng shān yì gǎi , běn xìng nán yí | it is easier to change mountains and rivers than to alter one's character (idiom) / you can't change who you are / Can the leopard change his spots? | |
| 火星文 | Huǒ xīng wén | lit. Martian language / fig. Internet slang used to communicate secret messages that the general public or government can't understand | |
| 无不达 | wú bù dá | nothing he can't do | |
| 牡丹虽好，全仗绿叶扶 | 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. | |
| 牡丹虽好，全凭绿叶扶持 | 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. | |
| 牵马到河易，强马饮水难 | qiān mǎ dào hé yì , qiáng mǎ yǐn shuǐ nán | You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. (idiom) | |
| 玩儿不转 | wán r bù zhuàn | can't handle it / can't find any way (of doing sth) / not up to the task | |
| 生米熟饭 | shēng mǐ shú fàn | abbr. for 生米煮成熟飯|生米煮成熟饭, lit. the raw rice is now cooked (idiom) / fig. it is done and can't be changed / It's too late to change anything now. | |
| 旧的不去，新的不来 | jiù de bù qù , xīn de bù lái | lit. If the old doesn't go, the new will not come. / You can't make progress by clinging to old notions. | |
| 说葡萄酸 | shuō pú tao suān | sour grapes (set expr. based on Aesop) / lit. to say grapes are sour when you can't eat them | |
