Definition
不可言传 is a four-character idiom (成语) meaning 'cannot be expressed in words' — used for feelings, experiences, or insights that are too subtle, profound, or personal to be captured by language. It often appears in the fuller expression 只可意会，不可言传 ('can only be sensed, not explained in words'), describing something that must be grasped intuitively rather than taught explicitly.
idiom
cannot be expressed in wordsineffablebeyond verbal description
Examples
- ，不可言传。Zhè zhǒng gǎnshòu zhǐ kě yìhuì, bú.This kind of feeling can only be sensed, not expressed in words.
- 不可言传。Yìshù de měimiào zhī chù wǎngwǎng bú.The beauty of art is often ineffable.
- ，不可言传，。Tā jiāo gěi wǒ de dàolǐ, yǒuxiē bú, zhǐ néng zìjǐ tǐhuì.Some of the principles he taught me cannot be expressed in words — you have to experience them yourself.
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