能否 (néng fǒu) — whether or not (one can); is it possible
Definition
Used in formal/written Chinese to ask 'whether (something) can'. 能否 is the written register; 与否 is an end-of-clause formal tag, not a fronted question word.
phrase
whether or not (one can)is it possible
Examples
- 能否？Nǐ néng fǒu huí dá zhè ge wèn tí?Can you answer this question?
- 能否。Wǒ bù zhī dào tā néng fǒu tóng yì.I don't know whether he will agree.
- 能否。Wèn tí shì wǒ men néng fǒu jiě jué.The question is whether we can solve it.
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