Definition

1. Adverb:
   • Impossible, cannot possibly, how could it be: Expresses that something is impossible, unfeasible, or cannot be done. It conveys a sense of logical or practical impossibility, often with a rhetorical or poetic nuance.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Chim lồng khôn lẽ cất mình bay cao. (It is impossible for a caged bird to soar up high.)
  • Khôn lẽ anh lại quên lời hứa của mình? (How could you possibly forget your own promise?)
  • Việc ấy khôn lẽ thành hiện thực được. (That matter cannot possibly become a reality.)

Advanced Usage

• "Khôn lẽ" is primarily used in literary, formal, or rhetorical contexts. It is less common in everyday spoken Vietnamese, where "không thể nào" or "làm sao có thể" are more frequent.
  • Khôn lẽ số phận đã an bài tất cả? (Could it be that fate has predetermined everything?) – Used here as a rhetorical question expressing doubt about possibility.

Variants and Related Words

• Khôn (Adj): Wise, clever, smart. (Note: In "khôn lẽ," the meaning of "khôn" is archaic and contributes to the sense of "how could it be reasonable/possible.")
• Lẽ (N): Reason, principle, logic.
• Không thể (Phrase): Cannot, impossible. (A direct and common synonym.)
• Làm sao có thể (Phrase): How could it be possible.

Synonyms

• Không thể nào: Cannot, impossible.
• Làm sao được: How can it be done.
• Đâu có thể: Cannot possibly.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Khôn lẽ... được": A common structure to frame an impossibility.
  • Khôn lẽ một mình cô ấy giải quyết vấn đề lớn như vậy được. (It's impossible for her alone to solve such a big problem.)
• "Khôn lẽ lại...": Expresses disbelief or rejection of a possible action.
  • Khôn lẽ lại bỏ cuộc giữa chừng? (How could we possibly give up halfway?)

1. Impossible
   • "Chim lồng khôn lẽ cất mình bay cao " (Nguyễn Du)
2. It is impossible for a bird in cage to soar up in the air