Talking about possibility 可能性 kě néng xìng
| Grammar 文法 wén fɑ | |
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Talking about possibility 可能性 kě néng xìng |
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The use of the word “bù” (不)in Chinese will change the meaning into the negative sense. For example, “ huì” (會) is positive. When we add the word “bù” (不) in front of the word “ huì” (會), the meaning changes to the negative sense and it means “ will not ”. In English, there are many modal verbs that can be used to express the degree of possibilities. However, talking about possibilities in Chinese is much easier. Generally speaking, there are two ways to talk about possibilities. They are “ huì” (會) for higher possibility and “ kě néng” (可能) for lower possibility. |
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e.g. wǒ huì qù (我會去) I will go.
In this example, the use of the word “ huì” (會) means the degree of possibility is higher and it implies the meaning of ‘must go’.
e.g. wǒ kě néng qù (我可能去) I may go.
In the second example, the use of the word “ kě néng” (可能) means the degree of possibility is lower and the person is not sure whether he/she will go or not.