只 能

zhǐ néngdictionary entry

can only / obliged to do sth / to have no other choice

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-1aab3878d0afde72. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

只能只能 [zhi3 neng2] /can only/obliged to do sth/to have no other choice/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

只
zhī
grain that has begun to ripen / classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc
zhǐ
only; merely; just
能
néng
can / to be able to / might possibly / ability / (physics) energy
Néng
surname Neng

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.