能 (néng): can, to be able to, might possibly, ability, (physics) energy
能 (néng) is a Chinese character meaning “can.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical 肉 (meat). It ranks #35 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically pictographic, 能 a bear's head 厶, body ⺼, and claws 匕. Its radical form 肉 (meat) appears in many related characters such as 肉 (ròu, meat), 背 (bèi, the back of a body or object), 胜 (shèng, victory).
Definitions
- can
- to be able to
- might possibly
- ability
- (physics) energy
Etymology & Origin
pictographicA bear's head 厶, body ⺼, and claws 匕
Decomposition: ⿰⿱厶⺼⿱匕匕 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 能 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 能
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 可能adjective/noun/verb | kě néng | might (happen) | 2 |
| 能够verb | néng gòu | to be capable of | 4 |
| 能力noun | néng lì | capability | 4 |
| 只能 | zhǐ néng | can only | 3 |
| 能量noun | néng liàng | energy | 6 |
| 能否 | néng fǒu | whether or not | 4 |
| 功能noun | gōng néng | function | 5 |
| 能源noun | néng yuán | energy sources | 6 |
| 本能noun/adverb | běn néng | instinct | 6 |
| 才能noun | cái néng | talent | 6 |
| 技能noun | jì néng | technical ability | 5 |
| 智能noun/adjective | zhì néng | intelligent | 5 |
| 太阳能noun | tài yáng néng | solar energy | 6 |
| 人工智能 | rén gōng zhì néng | artificial intelligence (AI) | 6 |
| 性能noun | xìng néng | function | 6 |
| 能干adjective | néng gàn | capable | 5 |
| 节能verb | jié néng | to conserve energy | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 不能 | bù néng | cannot |
| 可能性 | kě néng xìng | possibility |
| 尽可能 | jǐn kě néng | as far as possible |
| 无能 | wú néng | incompetence |
| 万能 | wàn néng | omnipotent |
| 能耐 | néng nài | ability |
| 全能 | quán néng | omnipotent |
| 未能 | wèi néng | cannot |
| 潜能 | qián néng | potential |
| 不能不 | bù néng bù | have to |
| 机能 | jī néng | function |
| 低能 | dī néng | incapable |
| 核能 | hé néng | nuclear energy |
| 低能儿 | dī néng ér | retarded child |
| 体能 | tǐ néng | physical capability |
能 appears in 100 compound words: 14 as the first character, 67 as the last, and 19 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 能 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (32)
heard a million times, to the point where one can recite it in one's sleep; well-worn (phrase)
heard a million times, to the point where one can recite it in one's sleep; well-worn (phrase)
Showing 12 of 32 idioms containing 能.
Example Sentences
只有不断学习，才能跟上这个快速变化的社会。
Zhǐyǒu bùduàn xuéxí, cái néng gēnshàng zhè gè kuàisù biànhuà de shèhuì.
Only by continuous learning can we keep up with this rapidly changing society.
...“识局”6 | 不想当“跛脚鸭”,特朗普能否守..
. . . shí jú 6 bù xiǎng dāng 跛 jiǎo yā , tè lǎng pǔ néng fǒu shǒu . .
"Knowing the Bureau" 6 | If you don't want to be a "lame duck", can Trump keep it?
大年初一,浙大发顶刊论文:用人工智能为膜蛋白造“装..
dà nián chū yī , zhè dà fā dǐng kān lún wén yòng rén gōng zhì néng wéi mó dàn bái zào zhuāng . .
On the first day of the Chinese New Year, ZJU published a top paper on the use of artificial intelligence for membrane proteins...
...国媒体:春晚人形机器人表演展现中国人工智能飞速发..
. . . guó méi tī chūn wǎn rén xíng jī qì rén biǎo yǎn zhǎn xiàn zhōng guó rén gōng zhì néng fēi sù fā . .
... State media: Spring Festival Gala humanoid robot performance shows China's rapid development of artificial intelligenc...
湖北文旅集团AI守岁人护新春 科技赋能年味浓
hú běi wén lǚ jí tuán shǒu suì rén hù xīn chūn kē jì fù néng nián wèi nóng
Hubei Culture and Tourism Group AI year-keeper to protect the New Year Technology empowers the flavor of the year
普通人也能开飞机回家过年了?飞2小时油费只要200...
pǔ tōng rén yě néng kāi fēi jī huí jiā guò nián le ? fēi xiǎo shí yóu fèi zhī yāo . . .
Can ordinary people really fly home for the New Year now? A two-hour flight costs just 200 yuan in fuel...
能不能请你把盐递给我？
Néng bù néng qǐng nǐ bǎ yán dì gěi wǒ?
Could you pass me the salt, please?
我能问一些问题吗？
Wǒ néng wèn yīxiē wèntí ma?
May I ask a few questions?
你能猜到我有什么吗？
Nǐ néng cāi dào wǒ yǒu shénme ma?
Can you guess what I have?
我能用一下你的铅笔吗？
Wǒ néng yòng yīxià nǐ de qiānbǐ ma?
Can I borrow your pencil for a bit?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 能 (néng) mean in Chinese?
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What is the radical of 能?
What are the components of 能?
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Is 能 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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