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HSK 3.0 · LEVEL 1

能

néng

To be able to; can; ability; energy.

Free Chinese vocabulary flashcard · HSK 1

Why does 能 look like this?

This character originally depicted a bear! It consists of 厶 (a head), 月 (representing the body or flesh, though it looks like the moon), and 𠂊/匕 elements representing the legs/paws. Because bears are strong and 'able' to do many things, the character evolved to mean 'ability' or 'can.'

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