Chinese word

不可以

Pronunciation

Pinyinbù kě yǐ

Meaning

  • auxiliary verbmust not

Example

这里不可以吸烟。zhè lǐ bù ké yǐ xī yān

You must not smoke here.

Illustration for 不可以 (must not)

More examples

博物馆里不可以随意触摸展品。bó wù guǎn lǐ bù ké yǐ suí yì chù mō zhán pǐn

You must not touch the exhibits in the museum as you please.

Core concept

A clear stop signal that puts an action outside the allowed boundary.

Common phrases

  • 不可以进来bù ké yǐ jìn lái

    must not come in

  • 不可以触摸bù ké yǐ chù mō

    must not touch

Similar words

不能bù néng: An action cannot be done because of limited ability or unfavorable conditions.
不可bù kě: A firm prohibition in formal or written language says that an action is not allowed.
不行bù xíng: A proposal or action is casually rejected as not okay or unable to go ahead.
不应该bù yīng gāi: An action is judged wrong or unwise according to reason or rules.

Definition in Chinese

用来否定对某一行为的许可，表明按照规则、场所或他人意愿不得进行该行为，口语和书面提示中常见。yòng lái fǒu dìng duì mǒu yì xíng wèi de xú kě biǎo míng àn zhào guī zé cháng suǒ huò tā rén yì yuàn bù dé jìn xíng gāi xíng wéi kóu yǔ hé shū miàn tí shì zhōng cháng jiàn

Word origin

不可以 (bùkěyǐ, "must not") places 不 (bù, "not") before 可以 (kěyǐ, "be allowed or possible"), turning permission into a prohibition.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, tone helps show whether the speaker is stating a firm rule or giving a personal refusal.

Other meanings

  • cannotauxiliary verb
  • not okayauxiliary verb

Opposites

Word lists with this word