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不是…(所)能…的

it is not something … can do; it takes more than …

Structure
话题 , 不是 人/办法 (就) 能/所能 动词 的

What it means

Says a job lies beyond some person or means: it takes more than that. The middle is often kept deliberately small to show how far it falls short.

How it is built

Topic + 不是 + person/means + (就)能 or 所能 + verb + 的: 这么大的工程,不是几个人所能完成的 (A project this big is beyond a handful of people).

When to use it

Weightier than plain 不能: it passes judgement instead of stating a fact. 就能 adds 'simply' (不是打几次折就能解决的); 所能 is formal, for commentary and official writing; 并不是 makes it stronger still.

Watch out

Keep the final 的 and put the topic in front. ✗ 不是一封信能挽回 ✓ 信誉不是一封道歉信能挽回的.

Examples

信誉一旦受到损害,就不是一封道歉信能挽回的。
Once a good name has been damaged, it takes more than a letter of apology to win it back.
孩子不爱吃饭的毛病,不是换几个菜就能解决的。
A child’s poor appetite is not something a few new dishes will cure.
这么大的工程,不是几个人所能完成的。
A project on this scale is beyond what a handful of people could ever finish.
Learn this in Lesson 61 · HSK 6: 预制菜之争 (The ready-meal debate)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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