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尽可能 (jǐn kě néng) — as far as possible; to the best of one's ability

Definition

A fixed adverbial phrase meaning 'as far as possible,' used to soften a request or recommendation (e.g., 请尽可能… 'please…as much as you can'). It often precedes 地 + verb or sits before an adjective phrase.

adverb
as far as possibleto the best of one's ability

Examples

  • 尽可能。
    Qǐng jǐn kě néng kuài dì wán chéng zhè xiàng gōng zuò.
    Please finish this task as quickly as possible.
  • 尽可能。
    Wǒ men yīng gāi jǐn kě néng jiǎn shǎo làng fèi.
    We should reduce waste as much as possible.
  • 尽可能。
    Tā jǐn kě néng dì bāng zhù le měi yí wèi xū yào bāng zhù de rén.
    He helped everyone in need to the best of his ability.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

尽jìnexhaust
可能possible
可kěcan能néngable
联合Coordinate

尽 pushes to the limit, and 可能 names what is possible, so the whole means to act as far as one can.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 盡; 尽 is its simplified writing.

  • 聿聿yùhand holding a brush
  • 灬灬huǒbristles
  • 皿皿mǐndish

The traditional form 盡 shows 聿 (hand holding a brush) and 灬 (bristles) over 皿 (dish), cleaning a dish until it is empty. The simplified 尽 is a shorthand, not those historical parts.

Open 尽 →

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 →

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

能 is an old picture of a bear, showing two paws and a face with an open mouth.

Open 能 →
Appears in
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