不可勝數

See also: 不可胜数

Chinese

cannot; should not; must not victorious; able to do; competent enough to
number; figure; to count
number; figure; to count; to calculate; several; frequently; repeatedly
 
trad. (不可勝數) 不可
simp. (不可胜数) 不可
Literally: “can not exhaustively count”.

Etymology

First attested in Hanfeizi:

且夫黨與劫弑諸侯矯易正道私曲不可勝數 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
且夫党与劫弑诸侯矫易正道私曲不可胜数 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]
From: Han Feizi, circa 2nd century BCE
Qiěfú nèi yǐ dǎngyǔ jiéshì qí jūn, wài yǐ zhūhóu zhī quán jiǎoyì qí guó, yǐn zhèngdào, chí sīqū, shàng jìn jūn, xià náo zhì zhě, bùkě shèng shù yě. [Pinyin]
Again, those who intimidate and murder the rulers with partisans and adherents at home and reform or alter their states through the influences of the feudal lords outside, thus concealing the right way and upholding private crookedness so as to restrain the ruler above and obstruct the government below, are innumerable.

Pronunciation


Idiom

不可勝數

  1. too numerous to count

Synonyms