Possibility and Permission with 可能 and 可以 in Chinese
可能/可以
可能 presents an event as possible or uncertain, while 可以 commonly grants permission or describes circumstances that allow an action. Both occur before the predicate in their clause. Do not treat them as interchangeable: likelihood answers what may happen, whereas permission answers what someone is allowed or able to do.
Published July 23, 2026
Reviewed July 23, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
Subject + 可能 + Predicate; Subject + 可以 + Verb
Read the structure
可能 presents an event as possible or uncertain, while 可以 commonly grants permission or describes circumstances that allow an action. Both occur before the predicate in their clause. Do not treat them as interchangeable: likelihood answers what may happen, whereas permission answers what someone is allowed or able to do. Keep the model Subject + 可能 + Predicate; Subject + 可以 + Verb visible while you compare each sentence.
他明天可能不来。
He may not come tomorrow.
Choose the right context
Use 可能 before a predicate when the event is uncertain but plausible. Use 可以 before an action to grant or ask permission. Use 可以 for practical possibility created by circumstances.
我可以进来吗？
May I come in?
Respect the boundary
Do not use 可以 merely to guess that an event will happen. Do not place either modal after the action it governs. Do not add 了 directly to the modal instead of marking the relevant event or change.
明天下可能雨。
(It may rain tomorrow.)
Repair the pattern
Possibility marker splits a fixed verb-object expression: 可能 belongs before the predicate 下雨; it cannot split the fixed verb-object weather expression 下雨. Question particle interrupts modal and action: Sentence particle 吗 belongs at the end of the yes-no question and cannot split 可以 from the action in its scope.
明天可能下雨。
Use the repaired structure without changing the intended meaning.
02 / MAP
Read the Sentence
Read from left to right and notice the job performed by each part. The labels describe this example; they are not a rule that every Chinese sentence must copy.
他明天可能不来。
He may not come tomorrow.
他
Subject
This part occupies the Subject position in the model pattern.
明天
可能
This part occupies the 可能 position in the model pattern.
可能
Predicate; Subject
This part occupies the Predicate; Subject position in the model pattern.
不
可以
This part occupies the 可以 position in the model pattern.
来
Verb
This part occupies the Verb position in the model pattern.
03 / EXAMPLES
Examples You Can Reuse
Keep the structure stable while changing the people, objects, times, or conditions. Pinyin is shown as reading support; use the Chinese sentence and translation to confirm the grammar relationship.
他明天可能不来。
He may not come tomorrow.
我可以进来吗？
May I come in?
现在可以买票了。
It is possible to buy tickets now.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- Use 可能 before a predicate when the event is uncertain but plausible.
- Use 可以 before an action to grant or ask permission.
- Use 可以 for practical possibility created by circumstances.
Do not use it when
- Do not use 可以 merely to guess that an event will happen.
- Do not place either modal after the action it governs.
- Do not add 了 directly to the modal instead of marking the relevant event or change.
05 / REPAIR
Compare Right and Wrong
Compare the smallest meaningful change. Each explanation identifies a placement, scope, form, or clause relationship instead of treating the whole sentence as one undifferentiated mistake.
明天下可能雨。
明天可能下雨。
Possibility marker splits a fixed verb-object expression
可能 belongs before the predicate 下雨; it cannot split the fixed verb-object weather expression 下雨.
我可以吗进来？
我可以进来吗？
Question particle interrupts modal and action
Sentence particle 吗 belongs at the end of the yes-no question and cannot split 可以 from the action in its scope.
明天下可能雨。
可能 belongs before the predicate 下雨; it cannot split the fixed verb-object weather expression 下雨.
我可以吗进来？
Sentence particle 吗 belongs at the end of the yes-no question and cannot split 可以 from the action in its scope.
06 / PRACTICE
Practice the Grammar Point
Complete three short tasks in order: judge the pattern, repair a common error, and build the sentence. Feedback is fixed and reviewed, so these activities do not use a checker allowance.
1. Judge the sentence
2. Choose the correction
3. Build the sentence
Build a complete sentence with 可能/可以.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 可能/可以. Your draft moves to the checker through this browser session, selects this grammar point as the first review focus, and waits for you to submit.
08 / QUESTIONS
Possibility and Permission with 可能 and 可以 Questions
Does 可以 always mean permission?
No. It can also mean that conditions make an action possible or acceptable.
How do I negate permission?
Use 不可以 before the prohibited action.
09 / SOURCES
Sources and Review Notes
These references support different parts of the lesson. GF0025-2021 supports level placement only; professional grammar works support the explanation, limits, examples, and cross-checks. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021)
Ministry of Education and State Language Commission · Ministry of Education of the PRC · 2021
Locator: GF0025-2021 Appendix A, Level 2 item 【二01】 (PDF p. 185)
Provides official Level 2 directory placement and examples only; it does not establish the learner-facing usage explanation.
Official sourceModern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide, 3rd ed.
Ross, Ma, Chen, He and Yeh · Routledge · 2024
Locator: Chapter 52, Expressing Ability and Possibility
Supports preverbal 可能 for uncertain possibility and 可以 for permission or circumstances that allow an action.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Compare
该/应该Advice and Obligation with 该 and 应该
可能 or 可以 expresses possibility or permission; 该 or 应该 expresses advice or judged obligation.
Compare
双重否定Emphatic Double Negation
Distinguish between the open modality of 可能可以 and the strong affirmative effect of 双重否定 to avoid writing uncertainty as inevitable.
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会/能/可以会 / 能 / 可以: How to Say Can
Compare 可能可以 with the 能 force permission system of 会能可以, and continue to distinguish between objective conditions and speculation.
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Compare 可能可以 with the 能 force permission system of 会能可以, and continue to distinguish between objective conditions and speculation.