zimai字脈
LookupMandarin · 繁體 · English
Mandarin–English · CC-CEDICTSources ↗
DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

適可而止

简 适可而止 · 繁 適可而止
Mandarin · pinyin shì kě ér zhǐ

Meanings

  1. (idiom) to refrain from going too far; to know when to stop
Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

適
Look up this written character
可
kě · may, can, -able; possibly
而
ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
止
zhǐ · stop, halt, desist; detain
适
shì · kuò · go, reach; appropriate, suitable
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Entries containing 適可而止 ↗Words written with 適 ↗Words written with 可 ↗Words written with 而 ↗Words written with 止 ↗Words written with 适 ↗

Mandarin tones

4–3–2–3 · shi4 ke3 er2 zhi3

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

5character links
Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sik1 ho2 ji4 zi2

Cantonese word readings for 適可而止. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

sik1 ho2 ji4 zi2

Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

  1. (idiomatic) to stop when appropriate; not to overdo; enough is enough

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack