可望而不可及 (kě wàng ér bù kě jí) — (idiom) in sight but beyond reach, unattainable, inaccessible

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'in sight but out of reach' — something you can see or imagine but cannot actually obtain.

idiom
in sight but beyond reachunattainableinaccessible

Examples

  • ，，可望而不可及。
    Zhè ge gōng zuò kàn qǐ lái hěn hǎo, dàn yāo qiú tài gāo, duì wǒ lái shuō zhēn shì kě wàng ér bù kě jí.
    This job looks great, but the requirements are too high — it's truly unattainable for me.
  • ，可望而不可及。
    Duì pǔ tōng rén lái shuō, dāng míng xīng shì gè kě wàng ér bù kě jí de mèng xiǎng.
    For ordinary people, becoming a star is an unattainable dream.
  • 可望而不可及。
    Nà zuò háo zhái de jià gé duì wǒ lái shuō kě wàng ér bù kě jí.
    The price of that mansion is beyond my reach.

Origin

Characters in this word

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 臣臣chéneye
  • 𡈼𡈼𡈼person standing on the ground

望 originally showed 臣 (eye) beside 𡈼 (person standing on the ground): a person standing up and looking off into the distance. Later 月 was added, and the 臣 part became 亡.

Open 望 →

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

The shape of 而 is a picture of a beard.

Open 而 →

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

及 pairs 人 (person) with 又 (hand), showing a hand grabbing a person.

Open 及 →

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