能

能 (Kangxi radical 130, 肉+6, 10 strokes, cangjie input 戈月心心 (IBPP), four-corner 2121₁, composition ⿰䏍𫧇)

• 㑷, 𠹌, 𢟒, 㨢, 㴰, 𤠗, 褦, 㔮, 𪏛, 態, 熋, 熊, 螚, 䘅, 罷, 𨶙

• KangXi: page 981, character 16
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 29454
• Dae Jaweon: page 1433, character 11
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 2074, character 1
• Unihan data for U+80FD

Historical forms of the character 能
Shang	Western Zhou	Spring and Autumn	Warring States			Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Qin slip script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Pictogram (象形) : bear. Compare 熊 (OC *ɢʷlɯm, “bear”).

"bear-like animal"

Apparently an areal word of Austroasiatic origin (Schuessler, 2007; Zhang, 2019). Compare Kharia [script needed] (bɔnɔi), Santali [script needed] (bana, “Indian black bear”) & Lepcha [script needed] (să-na, “bear”), a loanword from Santali

“be able to; can; ability”

Shijing rhymes point to Old Chinese *nə, but the forms with *-ŋ are also archaic (perhaps ancient dialectal variation?).

Possibly Sino–Tibetan: compare Tibetan ནུས (nus, “be able to; capable; to withstand; capacity; strength; force; power; function; energy”), Burmese နိုင် (nuing, “can, be able to, may; master; win; prevail”). Schuessler (2007) also derives 態 (OC *n̥ʰɯːs, “apparition, bearing, manner”) from this.

Compare the old pre-Sino–Vietnamese loanword nổi (“be able to; capable”).

能

1. (obsolete) a kind of bear
2. ^† (Chinese mythology) A mythological bear-like animal, with deer-like legs.
3. able; capable
4. can; to be able to; to be capable of; to be allowed to

   我能跑得很快。  ―  Wǒ néng pǎo de hěn kuài.  ―  I can run fast.

   有人能幫我嗎？／有人能帮我吗？  ―  Yǒu rén néng bāng wǒ ma?  ―  Is there anybody who can help me?

   漲潮時你不能在這個海灘散步。 [MSC, trad.]
   涨潮时你不能在这个海滩散步。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zhàngcháo shí nǐ bù néng zài zhège hǎitān sànbù. [Pinyin]

   You can't walk along this beach at high tide.

   公共場所不能吸煙。 [MSC, trad.]
   公共场所不能吸烟。 [MSC, simp.]

   Gōnggòngchǎngsuǒ bùnéng xīyān. [Pinyin]

   You’re not allowed to smoke in public.

5. to successfully do something (negate with 沒／没 (méi))

   你能進入這所大學讀書，全靠你父母的關係。 [MSC, trad.]
   你能进入这所大学读书，全靠你父母的关系。 [MSC, simp.]

   Nǐ néng jìnrù zhè suǒ dàxué dúshū, quán kào nǐ fùmǔ de guānxì. [Pinyin]

   You were able to study at this university all because of your parents.

   他沒能趕上末班車。 [MSC, trad.]
   他没能赶上末班车。 [MSC, simp.]

   Tā méi néng gǎnshàng mòbānchē. [Pinyin]

   He didn't catch up the last train.

6. (dialectal) cocky

   看把你能的。  ―  Kàn bǎ nǐ néng de.  ―  (please add an English translation of this example)

7. may; could

   能不能請你幫個忙？ [MSC, trad.]
   能不能请你帮个忙？ [MSC, simp.]

   Néng bù néng qǐng nǐ bāng ge máng? [Pinyin]

   May I ask a favour of you?

   你能再說一遍嗎？／你能再说一遍吗？  ―  Nǐ néng zài shuō yībiàn ma?  ―  Could you repeat that?

8. rather; would rather
9. ability; capability

   能力  ―  nénglì  ―  capability, ability

   無能／无能  ―  wúnéng  ―  incompetent

10. talent; talented person

    才能  ―  cáinéng  ―  talent, ability

11. energy; power

    太陽能／太阳能  ―  tàiyángnéng  ―  solar energy

    水能  ―  shuǐnéng  ―  hydroelectric power

    動能／动能  ―  dòngnéng  ―  kinetic energy

12. a surname

能

1. ^† Alternative form of 耐 (nài, “to bear; to withstand”).
2. a surname

能

1. ^† Alternative form of 台 (“name of a Chinese constellation”).

   三能  ―  sāntái  ―  Santai (Chinese constellation)

能

1. ^† Alternative form of 態／态 (tài, “bearing; apparition; form; shape; status; position”).

能

1. (obsolete) mythical three-legged soft-shelled turtle

   • 觀鯀之治水無有形狀，乃殛鯀于羽山。鯀投于水，化為黃能，因為羽淵之神。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     观鲧之治水无有形状，乃殛鲧于羽山。鲧投于水，化为黄能，因为羽渊之神。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 趙曄 (Zhao Ye) 《吳越春秋》 "Wuyue Chunqiu"

     Guān gǔn zhī zhìshuǐ wú yǒu xíngzhuàng, nǎi jí gǔn yú yǔshān. Gǔn tóu yú shuǐ, huà wèi huángnái, yīn wèi yǔyuān zhī shén. [Pinyin]

     [Shun] saw that Gun's flood-taming had been in vain, so Gun was imprisoned for life in Yu Mountain. Gun threw himself into the water, and became a yellow three-legged soft-shelled turtle, and he therefore became the god of Yu abyss.

能

1. ^† Only used in 能始 (tāishǐ, “origin; root cause”).

能

1. ^† Alternative form of 熊 (xióng, “bear”).

• “能”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A03329

(grade 5 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. ability
2. talent
3. skill
4. capacity

• Go-on: のう (nō, Jōyō); の (no); ない (nai)
• Kan-on: どう (dō); だい (dai)
• Kan’yō-on: たい (tai)
• Kun: あたう (atau, 能う); よく (yoku, 能く); よくする (yokusuru, 能くする)
• Nanori: たか (taka); の (no); のり (nori); よし (yoshi)

• 能(のう)動(どう) (nōdō): being active
• 能(のう)力(りょく) (nōryoku): ability
• 可(か)能(のう)性(せい) (kanōsei): possibility

能(のう) • (nō) 

1. Noh, a form of classical Japanese musical drama.
2. Ability, capacity, aptitude.
3. Effect, use.

   古(ふる)い議(ぎ)論(ろん)を繰(く)り返(かえ)しても能(のう)はないのだよ。

   Furui giron o kurikaeshite mo nō wa nai no da yo.

   Repeating old arguments isn't of any use / won't have any effect.

• (drama): 能(のう)楽(がく) (nōgaku)

From Middle Chinese 能 (MC nəŋ).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [nɯŋ]
• Phonetic hangul: [능]

Wikisource 能 (eumhun 능할 능 (neunghal neung))

1. Hanja form^? of 능 (“ability”).

Related to Middle Chinese 耐 (MC nʌi^H).

能 (eumhun 견딜 내 (gyeondil nae))

1. (literary Chinese) Alternative form of 耐 (“Hanja form^? of 내 (“endure; withstand”).”)

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

能: Hán Nôm readings: năng, hay, nấng, năn, nằng, nưng

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.