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可望而不可及

Mandarin · pinyin kě wàng ér bù kě jí

(idiom) in sight but beyond reach; unattainable; inaccessible

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Characters in this entry

可: kě · may, can, -able; possibly
望: wàng · to look at, look forward; to hope, expect
而: ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
及: jí · extend; reach; come up to; and

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–2–4–3–2 · ke3 wang4 er2 bu4 ke3 ji2

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ho2 mong6 ji4 bat1 ho2 kap6

Cantonese word readings for 可望而不可及. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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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) synonym of 可望而不可即 (kě wàng ér bùkě jí, “in sight but unattainable; within sight but beyond reach; inaccessible”)

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

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