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遙不可及

简遥不可及 · 繁遙不可及

Mandarin · pinyin yáo bù kě jí

unattainable
far-fetched
out of reach
exceedingly remote or distant

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Characters in this entry

遙: Look up this written character
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
可: kě · may, can, -able; possibly
及: jí · extend; reach; come up to; and
遥: yáo · far away, distant, remote

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

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Mandarin tones

2–4–3–2 · yao2 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.

遙不可及 · find source passages ↗ · 遥不可及 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jiu4 bat1 ho2 kap6

Cantonese word readings for 遙不可及. 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) far and unreachable

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

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