尚能饭否

尚能飯否

shàng néng fàn fǒu

quotation

Meanings

1 can he still eat?
2 still up to it in old age?

Characters

Examples

HSK 4

爷爷七十岁了还天天爬山，谁还敢问他尚能饭否？

Yéye qīshí suì le hái tiāntiān páshān, shéi hái gǎn wèn tā shàng néng fàn fǒu?

Grandpa is seventy and still climbs hills every day. Who would dare ask if he is still up to it?

HSK 7-9

球王老矣，尚能饭否？今晚的比赛会给出答案。

Qiúwáng lǎo yǐ, shàng néng fàn fǒu? Jīnwǎn de bǐsài huì gěichū dá'àn.

The king of football is old, but can he still do it? Tonight's match will give the answer.

Tips

history

辛弃疾 ends 京口北固亭怀古 (1205) with 廉颇老矣，尚能饭否, recalling how the king of Zhao sent an envoy to see whether the old general 廉颇 could still eat, and so still fight. Sports writers still borrow the line for ageing stars, with the star's name in place of Lian Po's.

culture

The Chinese microblog 饭否, founded in 2007 by 王兴, took its name from the last two characters.

Stroke Order

尚 shàng

能 néng

饭 fàn

否 fǒu