Dictionary › 可惜

可惜

kě xī

Old HSK 4 HSK 3.0 level 4 2-character word

可惜 (kě xī) means "it is a pity". It is an HSK 3.0 level 4 word, and was HSK 4 in the old six-level list.

What 可惜 means

1. it is a pity
2. what a pity
3. unfortunately

The characters in 可惜

• 可kě(prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit
• 惜xīto cherish; to begrudge; to pity

Example sentences

• 可惜啊。
  Too bad.
• 好可惜。
  What a shame.
• 太可惜了！
  What a pity!
• 可惜电话占线。
  Kěxī diànhuà zhànxiàn.
  The number is unfortunately busy.
• 可惜这是真的。
  It is unfortunately true.
• 真是太可惜了！
  What a pity!

Words containing 可惜

• 食之无味，弃之可惜shí zhī wú wèi , qì zhī kě xīlit. to be hardly worth eating, but it would still be a pity to discard it (idiom)…

Where 可惜 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Negative emotions & reactions (HSK 4), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 4 word, with the rest of its level.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read kě xī correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.