可 遇 不 可 求

kě yù bù kě qiúdictionary entry

can be discovered but not sought (idiom) / one can only come across such things serendipitously

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-233963a7ddc57572. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

可遇不可求 可遇不可求 [ke3 yu4 bu4 ke3 qiu2] /can be discovered but not sought (idiom)/one can only come across such things serendipitously/

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.

可
kě
(prefix) can / may / able to / -able / to approve / to permit / to suit / (particle used for emphasis) certainly / very / but / however
kè
used in 可汗[kè hán]
遇
yù
(bound form) to encounter / to happen upon / to meet unplanned / (bound form) to treat / to receive
Yù
surname Yu
不
bù
no / not so / (bound form) not / un-
可
kě
(prefix) can / may / able to / -able / to approve / to permit / to suit / (particle used for emphasis) certainly / very / but / however
kè
used in 可汗[kè hán]
求
qiú
to seek / to look for / to request / to demand / to beseech

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.