Chinese word

不可思议

Pronunciation

Pinyinbù kě sī yì

Meaning

  • adjectiveunbelievable

Example

他做的事真是不可思议。tā zuò de shì zhēn shì bù kě sī yì

What he did was truly unbelievable.

Illustration for 不可思议 (unbelievable)

More examples

他的进步速度让人感到不可思议。tā de jìn bù sù dù ràng rén gǎn dào bù kě sī yì

The speed of his progress is unbelievable.

Core concept

Something lies beyond ordinary thought and experience, leaving the mind unable to make sense of it.

Common phrases

  • 令人不可思议lìng rén bù kě sī yì

    astonishing

  • 感到不可思议gǎn dào bù kě sī yì

    find unbelievable

  • 简直不可思议jiǎn zhí bù kě sī yì

    simply unbelievable

Similar words

难以置信nán yǐ zhì xìn: So surprising that accepting it as true is difficult.
惊讶jīng yà: Showing a clear feeling of surprise.

Definition in Chinese

表示某事令人难以置信，超出常理或经验，使人感到惊讶或难以理解。biǎo shì mǒu shì lìng rén nán yǐ zhì xìn chāo chū cháng lǐ huò jīng yàn shǐ rén gǎn dào jīng yà huò nán yǐ lí jiě

Word origin

The idiom 不可思议 (bùkěsīyì, "beyond thought") comes from Buddhist Chinese, where it described something beyond the reach of thinking or discussion.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, 不可思议 (bùkěsīyì, "beyond belief") can express admiration, doubt, or criticism, so its tone depends on the surrounding context.

Other meanings

  • mysteriousadjective
  • astonishingadjective
  • incomprehensibleadjective

Related words

  • 不可思议地bù kě sī yì dìunbelievablyadverb

Word lists with this word