How common it is
可惜 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say kěxī slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
可惜用来表达对某事未能实现或结果不如预期的遗憾之情。
kěxī lái yòng lái bǎo chū duì mǒu shì wèi néng shí xiàn huò gù lǐ bù rú yù qí de hèn qíng.
可惜 is used to express regret over something that did not happen or turned out worse than expected.
Context note
可惜常用于日常生活中的遗憾时刻，比如错过了一次机会或天气不好无法外出。
kěxī cháng yòng yú rì kāi shēn qíng zhōng de hèn qián shí, bǐ 如 cuò guò yī cì jī hội or tianqì bù hǎo wú fá xiù wai.
可惜 is commonly used in daily life situations where there's regret, such as missing an opportunity or bad weather preventing outdoor activities.
5 examples
可惜我没有去参加那个派对。
kě xī wǒ méi yǒu qù cān jiā nà ge pài duì。
What a pity I didn't go to that party.
可惜天气不好，我们不能出去玩。
kě xī tiān qì bù hǎo， wǒ men bù néng chū qù wán。
What a pity the weather is bad, we can’t go out to play.
可惜他没有来参加我们的聚会。
kě xī tā méi yǒu lái cān jiā wǒ men de jù huì。
What a pity he didn't come to our party.
可惜我没买到那本书。
kě xī wǒ méi mǎi dào nà běn shū。
What a pity I couldn’t buy that book.
可惜他没有及时回复我。
kě xī tā méi yǒu jí shí huí fù wǒ。
What a pity he didn't reply to me in time.
5 mini stories
妈妈说今天天气不错，可惜我们没带伞。
mā ma shuō jīn tiān tiān qì bú cuò， kě xī wǒ men méi dài sǎn。
Mom said the weather was nice today, but what a pity we forgot our umbrella.
他本来可以参加比赛的，可惜生病了。
tā běn lái kě yǐ cān jiā bǐ sài de， kě xī shēng bìng le。
He could have participated in the competition, but what a pity he got sick.
我们本来可以早点出发的，可惜堵车了。
wǒ men běn lái kě yǐ zǎo diǎn chū fā de， kě xī dǔ chē le。
We could have left earlier, but what a pity we hit traffic.
他本来可以去参加聚会的，可惜他没空。
tā běn lái kě yǐ qù cān jiā jù huì de， kě xī tā méi kòng。
He could have gone to the party, but what a pity he was busy.
我们本来可以早点回家的，可惜妈妈加班了。
wǒ men běn lái kě yǐ zǎo diǎn huí jiā de， kě xī mā ma jiā bān le。
We could have gone home earlier, but what a pity Mom had to work late.