未能 (wèi néng) — to fail to; to be unable to (formal)

Definition

未能 (wèi néng) is a formal way to say 'failed to' or 'was unable to' — it negates the outcome of an action, not a capability. In writing, 它 is a more literary alternative to 不能.

auxiliary verb

to fail toto be unable to (formal)

Examples

未能。
Tā wèi néng àn shí wán chéng zuò yè.
He failed to complete his homework on time.
未能。
Zhè cì huì yì wèi néng dá chéng gòng shí.
This meeting failed to reach a consensus.
，未能。
Suī rán nǔ lì le, dàn zuì zhōng hái shì wèi néng chéng gōng.
Although he tried hard, in the end he still failed to succeed.

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