For autodidact students of Mandarin, the modal verb 会 (huì) is one of the most productive in the language, covering three distinct functions: learned ability (know how to), future probability (will/would), and conditional supposition (would). This is the third modal introduced in three consecutive lessons — 可以/能 (Lesson 36) and 会 here — completing the core modal system that English speakers need to navigate.
The three meanings of 会 are distinguished by context rather than by any change in the word itself. 她会说中文 (She can speak Chinese — learned skill). 明天会下雨 (It will rain tomorrow — future probability). 如果他知道，他会很生气 (If he knew, he would be very angry — conditional). In all three, the common thread is the future or hypothetical orientation: 会 always points toward what is acquired, anticipated, or imagined rather than what is presently the case.
Key Takeaways: - 会 (huì): learned skill — 会游泳 (can swim — was taught how) - 会 (huì): future probability — 他会来 (He will come) - 会 (huì): conditional/hypothetical — 如果…会 (If…would) - 不会: don't know how / will not / wouldn't - 会 vs 能: 会 = acquired skill; 能 = physical capacity/circumstances
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会 is a compact character — six strokes. It depicts a lid (△) over a container, originally suggesting the coming together of things, hence "to meet / to convene / to understand / to be able." The semantic range — from physical gathering to mental comprehension to learned ability — all flows from this original sense of things fitting together, clicking into place.
会 appears in many important compound words: 社会 (shèhuì, society), 机会 (jīhuì, opportunity), 开会 (kāihuì, to hold a meeting), 学会 (xuéhuì, to learn/master), 误会 (wùhuì, misunderstanding), 体会 (tǐhuì, to appreciate/understand through experience). The sense of things coming together — fitting, clicking, being understood — runs through all of them.
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37.1a 你 you 会 can 游泳 swim 吗 Q ？
37.1b (nǐ) you (huì) can (yóuyǒng) swim (ma) Q?
37.2a 她 she 会 knows-how-to 说 speak 三 three 种 CL-kind 语言 languages
37.2b (tā) she (huì) knows-how-to (shuō) speak (sān) three (zhǒng) CL-kind (yǔyán) languages
37.3a 明天 tomorrow 会 will 下雨 rain
37.3b (míngtiān) tomorrow (huì) will (xià yǔ) rain
37.4a 他 he 说 said 他 he 会 will 来 come
37.4b (tā) he (shuō) said (tā) he (huì) will (lái) come
37.5a 我 I 不会 don't-know-how-to 做 make 饭 food
37.5b (wǒ) I (bù huì) don't-know-how-to (zuò) make (fàn) food
37.6a 如果 if 你 you 不 not 去 go ， , 他 he 会 would 失望 disappointed
37.6b (rúguǒ) if (nǐ) you (bù) not (qù) go (tā) he (huì) would (shīwàng) disappointed
37.7a 这 this 种 CL-kind 事 thing 不会 would-not 发生 happen 的 PART
37.7b (zhè) this (zhǒng) CL-kind (shì) thing (bù huì) would-not (fāshēng) happen (de) PART
37.8a 她 she 会 will 不会 would-not 同意 agree ？
37.8b (tā) she (huì) will (bù huì) would-not (tóngyì) agree?
37.9a 我 I 一定 certainly 会 will 还你 return-to-you 的 PART
37.9b (wǒ) I (yīdìng) certainly (huì) will (huán nǐ) return-to-you (de) PART
37.10a 他 he 怎么 how 会 would 做 do 这样 such 的 DE 事 thing ？
37.10b (tā) he (zěnme) how (huì) would (zuò) do (zhèyàng) such (de) DE (shì) thing?
37.11a 学 learn 了 PERF 三年 three-years ， , 她 she 终于 finally 学会 learned-how-to 了 PERF
37.11b (xué) learn (le) PERF (sān nián) three-years (tā) she (zhōngyú) finally (xué huì) learned-how-to (le) PERF
37.12a 你 you 会 would 怎么 how 选择 choose ？
37.12b (nǐ) you (huì) would (zěnme) how (xuǎnzé) choose?
37.13a 事情 things 总 always 会 will 好 better 起来 up 的 PART
37.13b (shìqing) things (zǒng) always (huì) will (hǎo) better (qǐlái) up (de) PART
37.14a 他 he 不是 not-is 不 not 想 want 来 come ， , 是 is 真 truly 的 DE 来 come 不了 cannot
37.14b (tā) he (bùshì) not-is (bù) not (xiǎng) want (lái) come (shì) is (zhēn de) truly (lái) come (bu liǎo) cannot
37.15a 只要 as-long-as 坚持 persist ， , 就 then 一定 certainly 会 will 成功 succeed
37.15b (zhǐyào) as-long-as (jiānchí) persist (jiù) then (yīdìng) certainly (huì) will (chénggōng) succeed
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37.1 你会游泳吗？ "Do you know how to swim?"
37.2 她会说三种语言。 "She can speak three languages."
37.3 明天会下雨。 "It will rain tomorrow."
37.4 他说他会来。 "He said he would come."
37.5 我不会做饭。 "I don't know how to cook."
37.6 如果你不去，他会失望。 "If you don't go, he would be disappointed."
37.7 这种事不会发生的。 "This sort of thing would not happen."
37.8 她会不会同意？ "Will she agree or not?"
37.9 我一定会还你的。 "I will certainly return it to you."
37.10 他怎么会做这样的事？ "How could he do such a thing?"
37.11 学了三年，她终于学会了。 "After studying for three years, she finally learned how."
37.12 你会怎么选择？ "What would you choose?"
37.13 事情总会好起来的。 "Things will always get better."
37.14 他不是不想来，是真的来不了。 "It's not that he doesn't want to come — he truly cannot."
37.15 只要坚持，就一定会成功。 "As long as you persist, you will certainly succeed."
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37.1 你会游泳吗？ 37.2 她会说三种语言。 37.3 明天会下雨。 37.4 他说他会来。 37.5 我不会做饭。 37.6 如果你不去，他会失望。 37.7 这种事不会发生的。 37.8 她会不会同意？ 37.9 我一定会还你的。 37.10 他怎么会做这样的事？ 37.11 学了三年，她终于学会了。 37.12 你会怎么选择？ 37.13 事情总会好起来的。 37.14 他不是不想来，是真的来不了。 37.15 只要坚持，就一定会成功。
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These are the grammar rules for 会 (huì):
会 as learned skill — "know how to":
会 expresses ability acquired through learning or practice — distinct from 能 (physical capacity) and 可以 (permission):
- 你会游泳吗？(Do you know how to swim? — were you taught?) - 她会说三种语言 (She knows how to speak three languages — learned them) - 我不会做饭 (I don't know how to cook — was never taught) - 学会了 (learned how to — the compound 学会 means to master through study)
The contrast with 能: 他能游泳 (He is able to swim — physically capable, perhaps in these conditions) vs 他会游泳 (He knows how to swim — has the skill). A non-swimmer who is strong enough to stay afloat might 能 but not 会.
会 as future/probability — "will / be likely to":
会 marks future events or probabilistic statements. Chinese has no grammatical future tense; 会 adds the "will" meaning:
- 明天会下雨 (It will rain tomorrow — prediction) - 他会来 (He will come — expected) - 事情会好起来 (Things will get better — optimistic prediction)
Sentence-final 的 strengthens the prediction: 他会来的 (He will definitely come), 不会发生的 (Won't happen, I assure you). The 的 adds a tone of reassurance or certainty.
会 as conditional/hypothetical — "would":
In conditional sentences, 会 introduces the consequence:
- 如果你不去，他会失望 (If you don't go, he would be disappointed) - 你会怎么选择？(What would you choose? — hypothetical) - 他怎么会做这样的事？(How could he do such a thing? — incredulous rhetorical)
学会 (xuéhuì) — resultative compound: "to master through learning":
学 (study/learn) + 会 (grasp/master) = to successfully acquire a skill. The 会 functions as a result complement: studying produced the result of knowing how. 学会了游泳 (learned how to swim — mastered it). Compare: 学了游泳 (studied swimming — completed the study but result unspecified).
The three modals compared:
她可以去 (She may go — permission granted) 她能去 (She is able to go — no obstacle/capacity present) 她会去 (She will go / She knows how to go — expected/likely)
Common Mistakes: - Using 会 for permitted actions: *你会用我的电脑 — should be 你可以用我的电脑 - Using 能 for learned skills: 我能说中文 is acceptable but 我会说中文 is more precise for learned ability - Omitting 会 in future predictions: 明天下雨 is grammatically possible but 明天会下雨 more clearly marks prediction
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会 is the character of social gathering and institutional life: 社会 (society — social gathering), 开会 (hold a meeting — open a gathering), 工会 (trade union — workers' gathering). The social fabric of Chinese life is organised through 会 — meetings, associations, guilds, and societies all use this character because they are all acts of coming together.
不会的 (bù huì de, "it won't happen" / "I wouldn't do that") is a powerful social reassurance phrase. When someone expresses worry — 他会不会生气？(Will he be angry?) — the response 不会的 (He wouldn't) carries both prediction and implicit promise. The sentence-final 的 transforms a statement of probability into a comforting declaration.
总会好起来的 (zǒng huì hǎo qǐlái de — "things will always get better") is among the most-used comforting phrases in Chinese. The combination of 总 (always), 会 (will), 好起来 (improve), and 的 (reassurance particle) creates a formula of patient optimism that Chinese speakers return to in crisis. It is notably free of religion — comfort through temporal faith rather than divine promise.
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苏轼 (Sū Shì), 《江城子·乙卯正月二十日夜记梦》— River City: Remembering a Dream, 1075 CE
Su Shi's most celebrated lyric — a dream of his dead wife. The poem ends with a conditional 会: "If you knew / you would weep."
料得年年肠断处，明月夜，短松冈。
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
料得 (liào dé) expect-that 年年 (nián nián) year-after-year 肠断 (cháng duàn) heartbroken 处 (chù) place ，
明月 (míng yuè) bright-moon 夜 (yè) night ，
短松 (duǎn sōng) short-pine 冈 (gāng) hill
F-B: Authentic Text with Translation
料得年年肠断处，明月夜，短松冈。
"I can well imagine where, year after year, the heartbreak falls — on a night of bright moon, at the hill of short pines."
F-C: Authentic Text Only
料得年年肠断处，明月夜，短松冈。
F-D: Grammar and Vocabulary Notes
料得 (liào dé): "can well imagine / expect" — 料 (expect/anticipate) + 得 (can, here as potential rather than particle). The poet imagines the future from the present — a 会 moment without the word 会 itself.
肠断 (cháng duàn): "heartbroken" — literally "intestines severed." Classical Chinese locates grief in the intestines (肠) rather than the heart — 断肠 (broken intestines) is the classical word for devastating sorrow.
The earlier lines of the poem (十年生死两茫茫 — Ten years of life and death, two vast unknowns) contain 会: 纵使相逢应不识，尘满面，鬓如霜 (Even if we were to meet, you would not recognise me — face full of dust, temples white as frost). The 会 of this conditional imagining — "would not recognise" — is the modal of grief: it imagines what cannot happen.
F-E: Literary Commentary
Su Shi's poem is built on 会 — not the word but the function. He imagines: would she know me? Would she weep? Would the moonlit hill still hold her grave? Every image is conditional, hypothetical, pointing toward what will never occur. 会 as learned skill (the living learning to love), 会 as prediction (the moon will rise every year), 会 as conditional (if she knew, she would grieve) — all three senses of the lesson word pulse through this poem without the character appearing. Grammar is deeper than vocabulary: 会 is the modal of anticipation and loss, the verb that reaches forward into what is not yet or never will be.
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A man waits at an airport arrival hall. His daughter studied abroad for four years. As he waits, he reflects on what she was, what she will be, what he imagines she has become. 会 appears in all three registers — skill, prediction, conditional — the grammar of anticipation.
37.16a 他 he 在 at 到达 arrivals 大厅 hall 等 waiting 了 PERF 一个 one-CL 小时 hour 了 PERF
37.16b (tā) he (zài) at (dàodá) arrivals (dàtīng) hall (děng) waiting (le) PERF (yī gè) one-CL (xiǎoshí) hour (le) PERF
37.17a 四年 four-years 前 ago ， , 她 she 还 still 不会 did-not-know-how-to 一个人 alone 坐 take 飞机 plane
37.17b (sì nián qián) four-years-ago (tā) she (hái) still (bù huì) did-not-know-how-to (yī gè rén) alone (zuò) take (fēijī) plane
37.18a 现在 now ， , 她 she 会 knows-how-to 了 PERF ， , 还 also 学会 learned-how-to 了 PERF 很多 many 他 he 不会 doesn't-know 的 DE 事情 things
37.18b (xiànzài) now (tā) she (huì le) knows-how-to-PERF (hái) also (xué huì le) learned-how-to-PERF (hěn duō) many (tā) he (bù huì) doesn't-know (de) DE (shìqing) things
37.19a 他 he 想 thought ： : 她 she 会不会 will-or-not 变 changed 了 PERF ？
37.19b (tā) he (xiǎng) thought (tā) she (huì bu huì) will-or-not (biàn) changed (le) PERF?
37.20a 如果 if 她 she 变 changed 了 PERF ， , 他 he 会 would 认出 recognise 她 her 吗 Q ？
37.20b (rúguǒ) if (tā) she (biàn) changed (le) PERF (tā) he (huì) would (rèn chū) recognise (tā) her (ma) Q?
37.21a 当然 of-course 会 would 。 她 she 是 is 他 his 女儿 daughter ， , 他 he 怎么 how 会 would 不 not 认识 recognise ？**
37.21b (dāngrán) of-course (huì) would (tā) she (shì) is (tā) his (nǚ'ér) daughter (tā) he (zěnme) how (huì) would (bù) not (rènshi) recognise?
37.22a 他 he 想 thought ， , 她 she 会 will 不会 not 觉得 feel 家 home 里 inside 什么 everything 都 all 变小了 gotten-smaller ？
37.22b (tā) he (xiǎng) thought (tā) she (huì) will (bù huì) not (juéde) feel (jiā lǐ) home-inside (shénme) everything (dōu) all (biàn xiǎo le) gotten-smaller?
37.23a 她 she 小时候 childhood 说 said 她 she 长大 grow-up 会 will 成为 become 一个 one-CL 医生 doctor
37.23b (tā) she (xiǎoshíhou) childhood (shuō) said (tā) she (zhǎng dà) grow-up (huì) will (chéngwéi) become (yī gè) one-CL (yīshēng) doctor
37.24a 他 he 不知道 not-know 她 she 现在 now 还 still 会 would 不会 not 想 want 当 become 医生 doctor
37.24b (tā) he (bù zhīdào) not-know (tā) she (xiànzài) now (hái) still (huì) would (bù huì) not (xiǎng) want (dāng) become (yīshēng) doctor
37.25a 但 but 他 he 知道 knew ， , 不管 no-matter 她 she 选 chose 什么 what ， , 他 he 都 all 会 will 支持 support 她 her
37.25b (dàn) but (tā) he (zhīdào) knew (bù guǎn) no-matter (tā) she (xuǎn) chose (shénme) what (tā) he (dōu) all (huì) will (zhīchí) support (tā) her
37.26a 人群 crowd 涌出 surged-out 了 PERF ， , 他 he 踮 tiptoed 起 up 脚 foot 张望 looked-around
37.26b (rénqún) crowd (yǒng chū) surged-out (le) PERF (tā) he (diǎn) tiptoed (qǐ) up (jiǎo) foot (zhāngwàng) looked-around
37.27a 然后 then 他 he 看到 saw 了 PERF 她 her —— —— 更 more 高 tall 了 PERF ， , 更 more 瘦 thin 了 PERF ， , 拖着 dragging 一个 one-CL 大 big 行李箱 suitcase
37.27b (ránhòu) then (tā) he (kàn dào) saw (le) PERF (tā) her (gèng) more (gāo) tall (le) PERF (gèng) more (shòu) thin (le) PERF (tuō zhe) dragging (yī gè) one-CL (dà) big (xínglǐ xiāng) suitcase
37.28a 她 she 看到 saw 他 him ， , 跑过来 ran-over 说 said ： : "爸 dad ， , 我 I 回来了 returned-PERF ！"**
37.28b (tā) she (kàn dào) saw (tā) him (pǎo guòlái) ran-over (shuō) said (bà) dad (wǒ) I (huílái le) returned-PERF
37.29a 他 he 什么 anything 都 all 没 not-PAST 说 say ， , 只是 just 把 BA 她 her 抱住 held-tight 了 PERF
37.29b (tā) he (shénme) anything (dōu) all (méi) not-PAST (shuō) say (zhǐshì) just (bǎ) BA (tā) her (bào zhù) held-tight (le) PERF
37.30a 有些 some 事 things ， , 你 you 知道 know 一定 certainly 会 will 发生 happen ， , 但 but 真 truly 的 DE 发生 happening 时 when ， , 还是 still 会 will 让 make 你 you 说不出话来 speechless
37.30b (yǒuxiē) some (shì) things (nǐ) you (zhīdào) know (yīdìng) certainly (huì) will (fāshēng) happen (dàn) but (zhēn de) truly (de) DE (fāshēng) happening (shí) when (háishì) still (huì) will (ràng) make (nǐ) you (shuō bu chū huà lái) speechless
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37.16 他在到达大厅等了一个小时了。 "He had been waiting in the arrivals hall for an hour."
37.17 四年前，她还不会一个人坐飞机。 "Four years ago she still didn't know how to take a flight alone."
37.18 现在，她会了，还学会了很多他不会的事情。 "Now she knows how — and has learned many things he doesn't know."
37.19 他想：她会不会变了？ "He thought: has she changed?"
37.20 如果她变了，他会认出她吗？ "If she had changed, would he recognise her?"
37.21 当然会。她是他的女儿，他怎么会不认识？ "Of course he would. She is his daughter — how could he not recognise her?"
37.22 他想，她会不会觉得家里什么都变小了？ "He wondered — would she feel that everything at home had gotten smaller?"
37.23 她小时候说她长大会成为一个医生。 "When she was small she said she would grow up to become a doctor."
37.24 他不知道她现在还会不会想当医生。 "He didn't know whether she still wanted to become a doctor."
37.25 但他知道，不管她选什么，他都会支持她。 "But he knew: whatever she chose, he would support her."
37.26 人群涌出了，他踮起脚张望。 "The crowd surged out and he stood on tiptoe, looking around."
37.27 然后他看到了她——更高了，更瘦了，拖着一个大行李箱。 "Then he saw her — taller, thinner, dragging a large suitcase."
37.28 她看到他，跑过来说："爸，我回来了！" "She saw him, ran over and said: 'Dad, I'm back!'"
37.29 他什么都没说，只是把她抱住了。 "He said nothing — just held her tight."
37.30 有些事，你知道一定会发生，但真的发生时，还是会让你说不出话来。 "Some things — you know they will certainly happen, but when they truly do, they still leave you speechless."
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37.16 他在到达大厅等了一个小时了。 37.17 四年前，她还不会一个人坐飞机。 37.18 现在，她会了，还学会了很多他不会的事情。 37.19 他想：她会不会变了？ 37.20 如果她变了，他会认出她吗？ 37.21 当然会。她是他的女儿，他怎么会不认识？ 37.22 他想，她会不会觉得家里什么都变小了？ 37.23 她小时候说她长大会成为一个医生。 37.24 他不知道她现在还会不会想当医生。 37.25 但他知道，不管她选什么，他都会支持她。 37.26 人群涌出了，他踮起脚张望。 37.27 然后他看到了她——更高了，更瘦了，拖着一个大行李箱。 37.28 她看到他，跑过来说："爸，我回来了！" 37.29 他什么都没说，只是把她抱住了。 37.30 有些事，你知道一定会发生，但真的发生时，还是会让你说不出话来。
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会了 (huì le): "knows how to now" — 会 + 了 marks a change of state: she now has the skill she previously lacked. 她会了 = "she can now / she has learned." The 了 here is the change-of-state 了, not the perfective 了. Compare: 我会说中文了 (I can speak Chinese now — newly acquired).
更…了 (gèng…le): "even more…now" — 更 (even more/further) + adjective + 了 (change marker) = has become even more [adjective]. 更高了 (has gotten taller), 更瘦了 (has gotten thinner). The 了 marks the change; 更 intensifies the comparison against the previous state.
踮起脚张望 (diǎn qǐ jiǎo zhāngwàng): 踮 (tiptoe) + 起 (upward result complement) + 脚 (foot) + 张望 (look around/crane the neck looking). A vivid physical sequence: standing on tiptoe to see over a crowd. 张望 specifically suggests searching the crowd anxiously — eyes moving, neck extended.
说不出话来 (shuō bu chū huà lái): "speechless" — 说 (speak) + 不 (not) + 出 (out) + 话 (words) + 来 (come). A potential complement structure: unable to speak words out. The directional compound 出来 (outward) marks that the words cannot emerge. The phrase appears in both joyful and sorrowful contexts — any emotion that overwhelms language.
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会 (huì) — IPA: /xueɪ̯˥˩/ — Fourth tone, falling.
h: voiceless velar fricative [x] — the same sound as the ch in German "Bach" or Spanish "jota." Not English "h" [h]; the Chinese sound is made further back in the throat, with friction. A common English-speaker error is to use [h] — the result sounds like 威 (wēi) rather than 会 (huì).
uì: the u is a brief rounded glide [u] before the main diphthong [eɪ̯] — starts mid-front [e] and closes toward [ɪ]. The entire syllable falls sharply on tone 4.
会 vs 贵 (guì, expensive): both are fourth tone and share the -uì rhyme. The distinction is the initial consonant: 会 begins with the velar fricative [x]; 贵 begins with the aspirated velar stop [kʰ].
会 vs 回 (huí, return): same initial [x] and same vowel sequence [ueɪ̯], but 回 is second tone (rising) while 会 is fourth tone (falling). This tonal pair is worth practising: 会 (huì, falling) / 回 (huí, rising).
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