可望而不可即
kě​wàng'ér​bù​kě​jí

within sight but beyond reach

  • created sense approved 可望而不可即 · kě​wàng'ér​bù​kě​jí · within sight but beyond reach — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    可望而不可即

    kě​wàng'ér​bù​kě​jí

    within sight but beyond reach

    (idiom) within sight but beyond reach; unattainable; can only be looked at from a distance but cannot be approached or attained (jí here means to approach)

    可 (literal) → 可 · kě · can 望 (literal) → 望 · wàng · to gaze 而 (literal) → 而 · ér · [adverbial linker] 不 (literal) → 不 · bù · not 可 (literal) → 可 · kě · can 即 (literal) → 即 · jí · to approach

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense