ioChinese

会

huì v.
HSK 1

To bring people or things together in one place. To know how to do something; can; will happen in the future. A person (人) on a cloud (云) can do anything and see the future.

huì n.
HSK 3

A convergence of many people or things at one shared location. A meeting, conference, party, or organized group/association. People (人) crowding together like clouds (云) rolling in.

Context First Used in 5 real stories (5 sentences)

Common Usage & Traps

  • 会游泳 (huì yóuyǒng) — know how to swim
  • 会说中文 (huì shuō Zhōngwén) — can speak Chinese
  • 会下雨 (huì xià yǔ) — will rain
  • 会来 (huì lái) — will come
  • 会飞 (huì fēi) — can fly
  • 会能游泳 会游泳 / 能游泳

    Pick one. 会游泳 says you learned the skill; 能游泳 says you are able or allowed now.

  • 会忙 会很忙

    A bare adjective after 会 often sounds unfinished; 很 or a follow-up makes it sound natural.

  • 我会去北京明天 我明天会去北京

    Time words like 明天 usually go before 会, not tacked on at the end.

  • 我可以会游泳 我会游泳 / 我可以游泳

    可以 handles permission; 会 handles skill. Stacking them is not how Chinese works.

What is the real difference between 会, 能, and 可以 when English just says 'can'?

会 is learned skill or prediction; 能 is ability or circumstance; 可以 is permission.

Use this anchor: 会 = learned skill or prediction; 能 = physical capability or circumstantial condition; 可以 = permission or polite suggestion. 我会游泳 means I know how to swim. 我今天病了不能游泳 means today I am sick and cannot swim. 这里可以抽烟吗 asks whether smoking is allowed here. If you mean 'know how,' use 会. If you mean 'allowed,' use 可以.

DimensionNaturalAvoid
Learned skill我会游泳。我可以游泳。 (if you mean skill)
Circumstantial ability今天发烧，不能游泳。今天发烧，不会游泳。
Permission这里可以抽烟吗？这里会抽烟吗？
Prediction明天会下雨。明天可以下雨。
Polite suggestion你可以早点睡。你会早点睡。 (different meaning)

How can 会 mean both 'can' and 'will' without changing shape?

会 before a verb shows skill or likelihood; context decides 'can' or 'will'.

With a learned skill, 会 means know how: 我会游泳. With a guess about the future, 会 means likely: 明天会下雨. The verb after 会 stays the same, so the time word and situation do the sorting. 飞机真会飞 uses the 'can' side: flying is what planes do. Do not look for a separate 'will' word every time. “手机在手中， 飞机真会飞。” (The phone is in your hand, and planes really can fly.) ── [《电脑没脑子》](/read/computers-have-no-brains#s1)

DimensionNaturalAvoid
Know how我会游泳。我能游泳。 (if you mean learned skill)
Future guess明天会下雨。明天能下雨。
Inherent ability飞机会飞。飞机可以飞。 (sounds like permission or condition)
Time order我明天会去。我会去明天。

When I say 'I will go to Beijing tomorrow,' should I use 会 or 要?

会 predicts or promises; 要 shows plan, intention, or something about to happen.

我明天要去北京 sounds like a plan or decision. 我明天会去北京 sounds like a promise or prediction. 要 can also mean 'about to': 要下雨了 means rain is coming. 会 is safer for forecasts and guesses. Do not use 会 for every English 'will,' especially when you are announcing your own plan.

DimensionNaturalAvoid
Plan you control我明天要去北京。我明天会去北京。 (if you mean a plan, 会 sounds like a promise or guess)
Prediction明天会下雨。明天要下雨。 (both can work, but 要 sounds imminent)
Imminent action要下雨了。会下雨了。
Promise我会给你打电话。我要给你打电话。 (often means I want or plan to call)

Can 会 describe past ability, like 'I could swim when I was a kid'?

Yes, if it is a learned skill: 我小时候会游泳. Use 能 for one-time success.

会 is not a past tense button; time words like 小时候 set the past. 我小时候会游泳 means I had learned how to swim as a kid. If you mean you managed to swim across the river once, use 能: 那天我能游过去. 会 describes the skill itself, not the one-time result.

DimensionNaturalAvoid
Learned skill in the past我小时候会游泳。我小时候能游泳。 (if you mean skill)
One-time success那天我能游到对岸。那天我会游到对岸。
Newly learned skill我终于会游泳了。我终于能游泳了。 (if you mean mastered it)
Negative past skill我小时候不会游泳。我小时候不能游泳。 (if you mean never learned)

If I can't swim, why does 我不会游泳 beat 我不能游泳?

不会游泳 means you lack the skill; 不能游泳 means you're blocked right now.

Use 不会 when you never learned how: 我不会游泳，所以不去深水区. Use 不能 when something stops you: 腿受伤了，不能游泳. Use 不可以 when a rule forbids it: 这里不可以游泳. The negative word changes the reason, not just the grammar.

DimensionNaturalAvoid
No skill我不会游泳。我不能游泳。 (if you mean never learned)
Physical block腿受伤了，不能游泳。腿受伤了，不会游泳。
Rule forbids这里不可以游泳。这里不会游泳。
Temporary condition今天感冒，不能游泳。今天感冒，不会游泳。 (sounds like lost skill)

Appears in Stories 5 stories

Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.

《去上海》 (Train or Plane to Shanghai) HSK 2
~2 min read 151 chars
Read story →

Meet Xiao Shang, who is heading back to Shanghai. She compares two ways to travel and tells us why she prefers the slower one. This story helps you practice comparing transportation in simple Chinese.

  • 但是她可能 会 坐火车回上海。

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