堪 (kān) — (auxiliary verb) can, may, be capable of
Definition
Literary auxiliary meaning 'can, may, be worthy of' — used in formal/written style (e.g. 堪称, 堪当), not in everyday speech. Distinct from 能 kān (unrelated homophone) and from 能/可以 néng/kěyǐ, which are the neutral everyday modals.
auxiliary verb
(auxiliary verb) canmaybe capable of
Examples
- 。Tā de zuò pǐn kān chēng jīng diǎn.His work can be called a classic.
- 。Zhè zhǒng cái liào kān chēng nài yòng.This material can be called durable.
- 堪。Tā kān dāng cǐ zhòng rèn.He can take on this important task.
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