不可捉摸 (bù kě zhuō mō) — unfathomable; unpredictable; elusive

Definition

A fixed phrase meaning 'impossible to pin down' — used for people, events, or situations that feel mysterious, hard to predict, or beyond understanding.

verb
unfathomableunpredictableelusive

Examples

  • 不可捉摸，。
    Tā de xìng gé fēi cháng bù kě zhuō mō, méi rén zhī dào tā xià yí bù huì zuò shén me.
    His personality is very unfathomable; no one knows what he will do next.
  • 不可捉摸，。
    Shì chǎng de biàn huà zǒng shì bù kě zhuō mō, tóu zī zhě xū yào bǎo chí jǐng tì.
    Market changes are always unpredictable; investors need to stay vigilant.
  • 不可捉摸，。
    Zhè ge mí tí lìng rén bù kě zhuō mō, wǒ yán jiū le hěn jiǔ hái shì méi gǎo qīng chǔ.
    This puzzle is baffling; I've studied it for a long time and still haven't figured it out.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丂
丂kǎo可kě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

可 pairs 口 (mouth) with 丂 as a sound part; it is tied to air from the mouth, perhaps singing.

Open 可 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
足
足zú捉zhuō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

捉 pairs 扌, the hand form of 手, with 足, which gives the character its sound.

Open 捉 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
莫
莫mò摸mō
Same sound today

摸 pairs 手 (hand) with 莫; 手 shows the meaning is about a hand action, and 莫 gives the sound.

Open 摸 →

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