PROBABLE    大概蓋

INTENSELY POSSIBLE AND EXPECTED to be TRUE.
LIKELYMOST LIKELYODDS-ONEXPECTEDANTICIPATEDPREDICTABLEFORESEEABLETEN TO ONEINFORMAL IN THE CARDSA GOOD/FAIR/REASONABLE BET
Old Chinese Criteria
1. The general current word for probability is the particle gài 蓋／盍 (ant.* bì 必 "certainly, undoubtedly"), which emphasises that a statement is not based on direct objective evidence. 2. Qí 其 indicates that a statement must be true, for everything one knows, but could conceivably be false. 3. The final particle yún 云 is used in historical sources to indicate that something is not based on direct historical evidence but on hearsay or secondary sources only. 4. Yì 意 and yì zh3ě 意者 emphasise that a statement is a mere matter of subjective surmising. 5. Kě 可 (ant. bì 必 "certainly, undoubtedly") is occasionally used to refer to something being only possibly, not necessarily, the case. 6. Hào 好 refers to a proneness to do something, typically something one is not supposed to be prone to do. 7. Shàn 善 refers generally to any proneness or tendency to do something.
Modern Chinese Criteria
大概 大略 大約 約莫 大致 大體 大率 八成 光景 多咱 多敢 多分 敢情 橫是 或許 也許 怕 約 橫 蓋 rough draft to BEGIN TO identify synonym group members for analysis, based on CL etc. 18.11.2003. CH ／ LU JIANMING
Hyponym
Hypernym
  • POSSIBLE　ABLE TO BE DONE OR ABLE TO HAPPEN, OR ABLE TO BE THE CASE.  (anc: 7/0, child: 3)
  • ABLE　HAVE FEATURES one NEEDS in SELF:oneself FOR ACHIEVING something. (anc: 6/0, child: 16)
  • HAVE　RELATION to something such that it BE-IN:is in one OR is CONTROLLED by one. (anc: 5/0, child: 5)
  • Vocabulaire européen des philosophies. Dictionnaire des intraduisibles ( CASSIN 2004) p. 1029

  • Woerterbuch der Philosophie. Neue Beitraege zu einer Kritik der Sprache ( MAUTHNER WP 1924) p. III.417

  • Dictionnaire culturel en langue francaise ( REY 2005) p. 3.2091

  • Historisches Woerterbuch der Philosophie ( RITTER 1971-2007) p. 12.251

    WAHRSCHEINLICHKEIT

  • Using Chinese Synonyms ( GRACE ZHANG 2010) p. 71

  • The Encyclopedia of Philosophy ( BORCHERT 2005) p.

  • New Dictiornary of the History of Ideas, 6 vols. ( HOROWITZ 2005) p.

    • Words (32 items)

    其  qí OC: ɡɯ MC: gɨ 74 Attributions

    Qí 其 indicates that a statement must be true, for everything one knows, but could conceivably be false.

      Syntactic words
    • padN{PRED}presumably; possibly
    • padN{PRED}subjectiveI suppose it is N!
    • padSprobably S
    • padVpossiblyCH
    • padV.post-Sirrealiswould probably, would most likely
    • padV.postN{SUBJ}subjectiveprobably; surely be - I suppose -
    • padVexpected answer: no!", I wonder?"
    • padVexpected answer: yes!", I wonder?"
    • padVsubjectivepresumably, - I suppose , one would surely have thought
    蓋  gài OC: kaabs MC: kɑi
    盍  gài MC: -- OC: -- 23 Attributions

    The general current word for probability is the particle gài 蓋／盍 (ant.* bì 必 "certainly, undoubtedly") , which emphasises that a statement is not based on direct objective evidence.

      Syntactic words
    • padSmodalas a matter of fact, as far as I can see; as far as one can see; probably, apparently; presumably; in my subjective view
    或者  huò zhě OC: ɡʷɯɯɡ kljaʔ MC: ɦək tɕɣɛ 19 Attributions

      Syntactic words
    • PPadSprobably; presumably; I suppose..; for all we know
    • PPadVprobably; in all likelihood; for all we know
    或  huò OC: ɡʷɯɯɡ MC: ɦək 17 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • padVconceivably; probably, quite possibly, in all likelihood; "before you know it"; by any chance
    • padV.postN{SUBJ}conceivably; probably; presumably
    殆  dài OC: lɯɯʔ MC: dəi 12 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadN{PRED}probably be
    • vadN{PRED}presumablyCH
    • vadVprobably; presumably; apparently, as far as one can see
    意者  yì zhě OC: qɯɡs kljaʔ MC: ʔɨ tɕɣɛ 9 Attributions

    Yì 意 and yì zh3ě 意者 emphasise that a statement is a mere matter of subjective surmising.

      Syntactic words
    • NPadSprobably; presumably; perhaps
    可  kě OC: khlaalʔ MC: khɑ 7 Attributions

    Kě 可 (ant. bì 必 "certainly, undoubtedly") is occasionally used to refer to something being only possibly, not necessarily, the case.

      Syntactic words
    • vt+V[0]be likely to; may ??vt+V marking possibility (epistemic modality)
    將  jiāng OC: skaŋ MC: tsi̯ɐŋ 7 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadVwill naturally, will presumably; will probably; often with questions: possibly?
    意  yì OC: qɯɡs MC: ʔɨ 7 Attributions

    Yì 意 and yì zh3ě 意者 emphasise that a statement is a mere matter of subjective surmising.

      Syntactic words
    • vadSis it imaginable that S? it is surely not conceivable that S
    • vadSquestionparenthetic verb: - I suppose -, could it be that?, perhaps　Mo: 意月王將聽吾言
    欲  yù OC: k-loɡ MC: ji̯ok 7 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vt+V[0]will in all likelihood in the future
    • vt+V[0]continuoustend to, have a natural inclination to; be inclined to; sometimes like: would have liked to, would have tended to
    當  dāng OC: taaŋ MC: tɑŋ 6 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vt+V[0]be likely to, be due to, be bound to (sometimes expressing rather necessity than probability, especially in predctions: shall)
    可否  kě fǒu OC: khlaalʔ pɯʔ MC: khɑ pɨu 6 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NPabfeaturepossibility; feasibility
    其或者  qí huò zhě OC: ɡɯ ɡʷɯɯɡ kljaʔ MC: gɨ ɦək tɕɣɛ 5 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • PPadVvery probably, very likely; for all we know
    能  néng OC: nɯɯŋ MC: nəŋ 4 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vt+V[0]modalbe likely to
    庶  shù OC: qhljaɡs MC: ɕi̯ɤ 4 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadVprobably 庶。。。乎
    庶幾  shù jī OC: qhljaɡs kɯl MC: ɕi̯ɤ kɨi 3 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPadSpresumably; hopefully
    • VPadVsubjectprobably, almost certainly; presumably; in any probability
    懼  jù OC: ɡʷas MC: gi̯o 3 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadVparenthetic: - it is to be feared/I'm afraid -
    其或  qí huò OC: ɡɯ ɡʷɯɯɡ MC: gɨ ɦək 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • PPadVprobably
    殆乎  dài hū OC: lɯɯʔ ɢaa MC: dəi ɦuo̝ 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPadVprobably, presumably, possibly
    可以  kě yǐ OC: khlaalʔ k-lɯʔ MC: khɑ jɨ 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPt+V[0]may (thus 以之) come (thus 以之) toV; can come to V
    莫  mò OC: maaɡ MC: mɑk 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • padSprobably???; who knows?
    其將  qí jiāng OC: ɡɯ skaŋ MC: gɨ tsi̯ɐŋ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPadVthat must be because
    蓋將  gài jiāng OC: kaabs skaŋ MC: kɑi tsi̯ɐŋ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • VPadVwill probably
    云  yún OC: ɢun MC: ɦi̯un 0 Attributions

    The final particle yún 云 is used in historical sources to indicate that something is not based on direct historical evidence but on hearsay or secondary sources only.

      Syntactic words
    • padS..., or so it is said,...
    • ppostadSmodal particle: modal final particale cooccurring with modal 其 and especially gài 蓋: or so they say; 2. cooccurring with 如, 若, 類: of that kind, as in colloquial English sentence-final clitic - like, of that kind.
    弗其  fú qí OC: pɯd ɡɯ MC: pi̯ut gɨ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • PPadVnegativemight not (with uncontrollable process verbs) [DK]
    善  shàn OC: ɡjenʔ MC: dʑiɛn 0 Attributions

    Shàn 善 refers generally to any proneness or tendency to do something.

      Syntactic words
    好  hǎo MC: xawX OC: qhuuʔ 0 Attributions

    Hào 好 refers to a proneness to do something, typically something one is not supposed to be prone to do.

      Syntactic words
    宜  yí OC: ŋɡral MC: ŋiɛ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadVpossibly; I suspect
    容  róng OC: k-loŋ MC: ji̯oŋ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadSHOUHANSHU: probably; conceivably 容有陰謀 "probably their is a plot"
    殆將  dài jiāng OC: lɯɯʔ skaŋ MC: dəi tsi̯ɐŋ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • VPadN{PRED}presumably, probably
    • VPadVprobably
    應  yìng OC: qɯŋs MC: ʔɨŋ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadVgiven the situation, as a response to it: probably
    然  rán OC: njen MC: ȵiɛn 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words