Dictionary › 只能

只能

zhǐ néng

HSK 3.0 level 3 2-character word

只能 (zhǐ néng) means "can only, have no choice but to". It is an HSK 3.0 level 3 word, and was not on the old six-level HSK list.

What 只能 means

1. can only
2. obliged to do sth
3. to have no other choice

The characters in 只能

• 只zhǐonly; merely; just
• 能néngcan; to be able to; might possibly

Example sentences

• 他只能看着。
  He could only watch.
• 我只能那样做。
  I couldn't do otherwise.
• 你只能听天由命。
  Nǐ zhǐnéng tīngtiānyóumìng.
  You can only let the matter take its own course.
• 你只能怪责自己。
  You have no one but yourself to blame.
• 我们只能强忍着。
  We just have to grin and bear it.
• 我只能找到两个。
  I could only find two.

Go deeper

• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read zhǐ néng correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.