可 有 可 无

kě yǒu kě wúdictionary entry

not essential / dispensable

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-b1454fe6141f1097. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

可有可無可有可无 [ke3 you3 ke3 wu2] /not essential/dispensable/

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.

Other forms in these source records: 可有可無

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]
有
yǒu
to have / there is / (bound form) having / with / -ful / -ed / -al (as in 有意[yǒu yì] intentional)
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]
无
mó
used in 南無|南无[nā mó]
wú
not to have / no / none / not / to lack / un- / -less

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.