许 xǔ — to allow; to permit; to praise; (surname)
这里不许吸烟。Zhè lǐ bù xǔ xī yān.Smoking is not allowed here.
Common words: 也许 (yě xǔ)、许多 (xǔ duō)、或许 (huò xǔ)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to permit"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to permit", including 许 (xǔ), 准 (zhǔn), 允 (yǔn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to permit" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 许 (xǔ), 准 (zhǔn), 允 (yǔn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xǔ, zhǔn, yǔn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 许 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 许 xǔto allow; to permit; to praise; (surname)Useful words: 也许, 许多
- 准 zhǔnto allow; to grant; to permit; accurate; standard; accurateUseful words: 准备, 准确
- 允 yǔnjust; fair; to permit; to allowUseful words: 允许, 允当
Common words for these 3 "to permit" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 许 (xǔ) — so "to permit" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
也许yě xǔperhaps; maybe许多xǔ duōmany; a lot of; much或许huò xǔperhaps; maybe准备zhǔn bèipreparation; to prepare; to intend; to be about to准确zhǔn quèaccurate; exact; precise标准biāo zhǔnstandard; norm; criterion; (adjective) standard允许yǔn xǔto permit; to allow允当yǔn dàngproper; suitable公允gōng yǔnequitable; fair
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "to permit".
准 zhǔn — to allow; to grant; to permit; accurate; standard; accurate
他每天都很准时上班。Tā měi tiān dōu hěn zhǔn shí shàng bān.He goes to work on time every day.
Common words: 准备 (zhǔn bèi)、准确 (zhǔn què)、标准 (biāo zhǔn)
允 yǔn — just; fair; to permit; to allow
妈妈允许我周末多玩一会儿。Mā ma yǔn xǔ wǒ zhōu mò duō wán yí huìr.Mom allows me to play a little longer on weekends.
Common words: 允许 (yǔn xǔ)、允当 (yǔn dàng)、公允 (gōng yǔn)
All 3 characters
Open 许、准、允 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.