情不自禁 qíng bù zì jīn (idiom) cannot refrain from / cannot help / cannot but syn 汉贼不两立 漢賊不兩立 hàn zéi bù liǎng lì lit. Shu Han 蜀漢|蜀汉[Shu3 Han4] and Cao Wei 曹魏[Cao2 Wei4] cannot coexist (idiom) / fig. two enemies cannot live under the same sky / (former KMT slogan against CCP) "gentlemen and thieves cannot coexist" 有理 yǒu lǐ reasonable / justified / right / (math.) rational syn 不容 bù róng must not / cannot / to not allow / cannot tolerate syn 看不见 看不見 kàn bu jiàn cannot see / cannot be seen / invisible 得不到 dé bù dào cannot get / cannot obtain syn 不堪 bù kān cannot bear / cannot stand / utterly / extremely syn 达不到 達不到 dá bù dào cannot achieve / cannot reach 少不得 shǎo bu dé cannot be avoided / cannot do without syn 来不得 來不得 lái bu dé cannot allow (to be present) / cannot admit syn 不免一死 bù miǎn yī sǐ cannot avoid being killed / cannot escape death / to be mortal 负担不起 負擔不起 fù dān bu qǐ cannot afford / cannot bear the burden 马无夜草不肥，人无外快不富 馬無夜草不肥，人無外快不富 mǎ wú yè cǎo bù féi , rén wú wài kuài bù fù a horse cannot get fat without an extra ration, a man cannot get rich without an extra income (idiom) 野火烧不尽，春风吹又生 野火燒不盡，春風吹又生 yě huǒ shāo bù jìn , chūn fēng chuī yòu shēng lit. even a prairie fire cannot destroy the grass - it grows again when the breeze blows (proverb) / fig. cannot be easily eliminated / abbr. to 野火春風|野火春风[ye3 huo3 chun1 feng1] 水浅养不住大鱼 水淺養不住大魚 shuǐ qiǎn yǎng bù zhù dà yú lit. shallow waters cannot harbor big fish (idiom) / fig. ambitious, talented people cannot reach their full potential in a small organization 人无横财不富，马无夜草不肥 人無橫財不富，馬無夜草不肥 rén wú hèng cái bù fù , mǎ wú yè cǎo bù féi (saying) a person cannot become wealthy without windfall profits (or ill-gotten gains etc), just as a horse cannot get fat without night feed 不能 bù néng cannot / must not / should not syn 不过 不過 bù guò only / merely / no more than / but / however / anyway (to get back to a previous topic) / cannot be more (after adjectival) syn 不得 bù dé must not / may not / not to be allowed / cannot syn 不可 bù kě cannot / should not / must not syn 不可能 bù kě néng impossible / cannot / not able 不足 bù zú insufficient / lacking / deficiency / not enough / inadequate / not worth / cannot / should not syn 不得不 bù dé bù have no choice or option but to / cannot but / have to / can't help it / can't avoid syn 忍不住 rěn bu zhù cannot help / unable to bear syn 不懂 bù dǒng not to understand / cannot (see, hear, understand, as verb complement) / incomprehension 会不会 會不會 huì bù huì (posing a question: whether sb, something) can or cannot? / is able to or not 能不能 néng bù néng can or cannot? / Is it possible? / Can we do it? 未能 wèi néng cannot / to fail to / unable to syn 无所谓 無所謂 wú suǒ wèi to be indifferent / not to matter / cannot be said to be syn 不由得 bù yóu de can't help / cannot but syn 不能不 bù néng bù have to / cannot but syn 不忍 bù rěn cannot bear to syn 不胜 不勝 bù shèng cannot bear or stand / be unequal to / very / extremely syn 不敌 不敵 bù dí no match for / cannot beat 忘不了 wàng bù liǎo cannot forget 少不了 shǎo bu liǎo cannot do without / to be unavoidable / are bound to be many syn 冰山 bīng shān iceberg / ice-covered mountain / (fig.) a backer one cannot rely on for long / CL:座[zuo4] 会否 會否 huì fǒu can or cannot / is it possible? 顾不上 顧不上 gù bu shàng cannot attend to or manage syn 惨不忍睹 慘不忍睹 cǎn bù rěn dǔ lit. so horrible that one cannot bear to look (idiom) / fig. miserable / horrendous / atrocious syn 看不惯 看不慣 kàn bu guàn cannot bear to see / to hate / to dislike / to disapprove syn 赶不上 趕不上 gǎn bù shàng can't keep up with / can't catch up with / cannot overtake 难说 難說 nán shuō hard to tell (i.e. hard to judge or hard to predict) / cannot bring oneself to say it syn 不计其数 不計其數 bù jì qí shù lit. their number cannot be counted (idiom) / fig. countless / innumerable syn 功不可没 功不可沒 gōng bù kě mò one's contributions cannot go unnoticed (idiom) 你死我活 nǐ sǐ wǒ huó lit. you die, I live (idiom) / irreconcilable adversaries / two parties cannot coexist syn 想不开 想不開 xiǎng bu kāi cannot figure out / to be unable to take a lighter view / to take things too hard / to be depressed / to fret over trifles syn 由不得 yóu bù de cannot help / to be beyond control of 由不得 yóu bu de cannot help / to be beyond control of 忍俊不禁 rěn jùn bù jīn cannot help laughing / unable to restrain a smile syn 保不住 bǎo bu zhù cannot maintain (sth) / unable to keep / more likely than not / may well 难不倒 難不倒 nán bù dǎo not to pose a problem for sb / cannot stump sb 不迭 bù dié cannot cope / find it too much / incessantly syn 不共戴天 bù gòng dài tiān (of enemies) cannot live under the same sky / absolutely irreconcilable syn 下不来 下不來 xià bù lái awkward / embarrassed / cannot be accomplished syn 打不通 dǎ bu tōng cannot get through (on phone) 未可 wèi kě cannot 势不两立 勢不兩立 shì bù liǎng lì the two cannot exist together (idiom) / irreconcilable differences / incompatible standpoints syn 顾此失彼 顧此失彼 gù cǐ shī bǐ lit. to attend to one thing and lose sight of another (idiom) / fig. to be unable to manage two or more things at once / cannot pay attention to one thing without neglecting the other 怨不得 yuàn bu de cannot blame / no wonder syn 不克 bù kè cannot / to not be able (to) / to be unable to 使不得 shǐ bu de cannot be used / must not (do sth) / unacceptable syn 幽明 yōu míng the hidden and the visible / that which can be seen and that which cannot / darkness and light / night and day / wisdom and ignorance / evil and good / the living and the dead / men and ghosts 莫衷一是 mò zhōng yī shì unable to reach a decision (idiom) / cannot agree on the right choice / no unanimous decision / still a matter of discussion syn 难辞其咎 難辭其咎 nán cí qí jiù cannot escape censure (idiom) / has to bear the blame 无可置疑 無可置疑 wú kě zhì yí cannot be doubted (idiom) syn 架不住 jià bu zhù (coll.) unable to withstand / cannot bear / can't stand it / no match for syn 鞭长莫及 鞭長莫及 biān cháng mò jí lit. the whip cannot reach (idiom) / beyond one's influence / too far to be able to help syn 不识时务 不識時務 bù shí shí wù to show no understanding of the times (idiom) / cannot adapt to current circumstances / not amenable to reason syn 不谓 不謂 bù wèi cannot be deemed / unexpectedly 木已成舟 mù yǐ chéng zhōu lit. the timber has been turned into a boat already (idiom) / fig. what is done cannot be undone syn 目不识丁 目不識丁 mù bù shí dīng lit. the eye cannot recognize the letter T (idiom) / totally illiterate syn 誓不两立 誓不兩立 shì bù liǎng lì the two cannot exist together (idiom) / irreconcilable differences / incompatible standpoints syn 毫无二致 毫無二致 háo wú èr zhì there cannot be another one like it syn 买不起 買不起 mǎi bu qǐ cannot afford / can't afford buying 酒酸不售 jiǔ suān bù shòu "The wine´s gone bad and it cannot be sold" 不敢高攀 bù gǎn gāo pān lit. not dare to pull oneself up high (humble term) / I cannot presume on your attention 不知者不罪 bù zhī zhě bù zuì One who does not know is not guilty / If one does not know any better, one cannot be held responsible 夏虫不可以语冰 夏蟲不可以語冰 xià chóng bù kě yǐ yǔ bīng a summer insect cannot discuss ice (idiom) 巧妇难为无米之炊 巧婦難為無米之炊 qiǎo fù nán wéi wú mǐ zhī chuī The cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice (idiom) / You won't get anywhere without equipment. 强龙不压地头蛇 強龍不壓地頭蛇 qiáng lóng bù yā dì tóu shé lit. strong dragon cannot repress a snake (idiom) / fig. a local gangster who is above the law 心无二用 心無二用 xīn wú èr yòng one cannot concentrate on two things at the same time syn 死无对证 死無對證 sǐ wú duì zhèng the dead cannot testify (idiom) / dead men tell no tales 水至清则无鱼 水至清則無魚 shuǐ zhì qīng zé wú yú Water that is too clear has few fish, and one who is too critical has few friends (idiom) / You cannot expect everyone to be squeaky clean. / Don't be too picky! 泼水难收 潑水難收 pō shuǐ nán shōu water once spilt cannot be retrieved (idiom) / irreversible change 为仁不富 為仁不富 wéi rén bù fù the rich man cannot be benevolent (idiom, from Mencius). It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:24). 为富不仁 為富不仁 wéi fù bù rén the benevolent man cannot be rich (idiom, from Mencius). It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:24). syn 无坚不摧 無堅不摧 wú jiān bù cuī no stronghold one cannot overcome (idiom) / to conquer every obstacle / nothing one can't do / to carry everything before one syn 无风不起浪 無風不起浪 wú fēng bù qǐ làng lit. without wind there cannot be waves (idiom) / there must be a reason / no smoke without fire 目不忍视 目不忍視 mù bù rěn shì lit. the eye cannot bear to see it (idiom) / fig. pitiful to behold 目不见睫 目不見睫 mù bù jiàn jié lit. the eye cannot see the eyelashes (idiom) / fig. unable to see one's own faults / to lack self-awareness / truths too close to home syn 道不同不相为谋 道不同不相為謀 dào bù tóng bù xiāng wéi móu lit. persons who walk different paths cannot make plans together / to go separate ways (idiom) 饱人不知饿人饥 飽人不知餓人飢 bǎo rén bù zhī è rén jī The well-fed cannot know how the starving suffer (idiom). 饱汉不知饿汉饥 飽漢不知餓漢飢 bǎo hàn bù zhī è hàn jī The well-fed cannot know how the starving suffer (idiom). 独木不成林 獨木不成林 dú mù bù chéng lín a lone tree does not make a forest (idiom) / one cannot accomplish much on one's own syn 一个巴掌拍不响 一個巴掌拍不響 yī ge bā zhǎng pāi bù xiǎng lit. one palm alone cannot clap (proverb) / fig. it takes two persons to start a dispute / it takes two to tango / it's difficult to achieve anything without support 一木难支 一木難支 yī mù nán zhī lit. a single post cannot prop up a falling house (idiom) / fig. one is helpless alone syn 言不尽意 言不盡意 yán bù jìn yì (conventional letter ending) words cannot fully express what is in my heart (idiom) 米已成炊 mǐ yǐ chéng chuī lit. the rice has already been cooked (idiom) / fig. what is done cannot be undone 