螚 (nài) - Able, capable & archaic term meaning 'to be able to', similar

螚Tone 4

nài ｜ 16 strokes ｜ radical:

娜楠

螚 · nài

Able, capable;

archaic term meaning 'to be able to', similar to 能 but rarely used in modern Chinese.

Able, capablearchaic term meaning 'to be able to', similar

Usage highlights

able to docapable personhaving abilitynot able

Synonyms

  • 能— able, capable (modern equivalent)
  • 可以— can, may
  • 能够— able to, capable of

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He is capable of great things (螚做大事).
  • This ancient character means 'able to' (螚 meaning 'able').
  • Few people recognize this character today (很少有人认识螚字).

Collocations

  • able to do(螚做)
  • capable person(螚人)
  • having ability(有螚)
  • not able(不螚)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • An archaic character that has largely fallen out of use in modern Chinese.
  • Historically used interchangeably with 能 in some contexts, but now considered obscure.
  • Primarily encountered in classical texts or specialized dictionaries.

FAQ