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勢不可當

简势不可当 · 繁勢不可當

Mandarin · pinyin shì bù kě dāng

impossible to resist (idiom); an irresistible force

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Characters in this entry

勢: Look up this written character
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
可: kě · may, can, -able; possibly
當: dāng · bear, accept, undertake; just
势: shì · power, force; tendency
当: dāng · bear, accept, undertake; just

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–4–3–1 · shi4 bu4 ke3 dang1

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

勢不可當 · find source passages ↗ · 势不可当 · find source passages ↗

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) fierce and overwhelming; swift and unstoppable

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

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