Meaning of 足以
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- sufficient to...
- so much so that
- so that
How to use 足以
足以 comes before a verb phrase and says something is sufficient to cause or achieve a result. It sounds fairly formal and is common in writing and serious speech. Example: 这些证据足以证明他是无辜的。(Zhèxiē zhèngjù zúyǐ zhèngmíng tā shì wúgū de.) This evidence is enough to prove he is innocent.
足 (zú) means foot, and also enough, as in 满足 (mǎnzú) satisfied. 以 (yǐ) means to use or by means of, so 足以 is "enough to be used for" something: having enough to do it.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes put a noun right after 足以, as in 这些钱足以房租, but it needs a verb: 这些钱足以付房租 (fù fángzū). Also do not confuse it with 可以 (kěyǐ). 可以 means can or may, while 足以 stresses that something is enough to reach a result.
足以 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
足 zú · foot · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
以 yǐ · to use · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 足以.
| 可以 | kěyǐ | can; may |
| 所以 | suǒyǐ | therefore; as a result |
| 以为 | yǐwéi | to think; to believe (often with the implication that the belief is mistaken – unless refe |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before; formerly |
| 以后 | yǐhòu | after; later |
| 以上 | yǐshàng | that level or higher; that amount or more; the above-mentioned |
| 以外 | yǐwài | apart from; other than |
| 以下 | yǐxià | that level or lower; that amount or less |
| 足够 | zúgòu | enough; sufficient |
| 满足 | mǎnzú | to satisfy; to meet (the needs of) |
| 以来 | yǐlái | since (used after a specified time or event) |
| 足球 | zúqiú | soccer; football; a soccer ball; a football |
Questions about 足以
What does 足以 mean?
足以 (zúyǐ) means "sufficient to...; so much so that" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 足以?
足以 is made of 2 characters: 足 (7 strokes), 以 (4 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 足以 an HSK word?
Yes. 足以 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say "not enough to" with 足以?
Use 不足以 (bùzúyǐ). For example, 一次失败不足以说明问题 (yí cì shībài bùzúyǐ shuōmíng wèntí) means one failure is not enough to prove anything. This negative form is very common.
What is the difference between 足以 and 足够?
足够 (zúgòu) usually describes an amount and can stand alone, as in 时间足够 (shíjiān zúgòu), there is enough time. 足以 must be followed by a verb phrase showing what the amount is enough to do.