maybe; perhaps; uncertain
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesadverb
maybe; perhaps; possibly
informalIndicates uncertainty about future events, actions, or situations. Commonly used in informal spoken Chinese to express that something is unpredictable.
Nǐ你
bié别
děng等
tā他
le了
，
tā他
zhǐ指
bu不
dìng定
lái来
bu不
lái来
ne呢
。
Don't wait for him; there's no telling whether he'll come or not.
Míng明
tiān天
zhǐ指
bu不
dìng定
huì会
xià下
yǔ雨
，
nǐ你
dài带
bǎ把
sǎn伞
ba吧
。
It might rain tomorrow, so you'd better bring an umbrella.
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Tā他
zhǐ指
bu不
dìng定
shén什
me么
shí时
hou候
cái才
néng能
dào到
。
There's no telling when he will finally arrive.