可惜 (kěxī) — it's a pity; unfortunately

可惜 (kěxī)

可惜 expresses regret that something unfortunate has happened or that something good was missed, equivalent to "it's a pity" or "unfortunately."

Meanings

1. [adj] unfortunate; regrettable; it's a pity
2. [adv] unfortunately; regrettably

Example Sentences

真可惜，你没能来参加我们的聚会。 Zhēn kěxī, nǐ méi néng lái cānjiā wǒmen de jùhuì. What a pity you couldn't come to our gathering.

可惜天气不好，我们不能去爬山。 Kěxī tiānqì bù hǎo, wǒmen bù néng qù páshān. Unfortunately the weather is bad, so we cannot go hiking.

这么好的机会，错过了真可惜。 Zhème hǎo de jīhuì, cuòguòle zhēn kěxī. It's really a pity to have missed such a good opportunity.

她唱得非常好，可惜没有人听见。 Tā chàng de fēicháng hǎo, kěxī méiyǒu rén tīngjiàn. She sang very well; unfortunately, no one heard it.

Collocations

Memory Hook

可 means "can/worthy of" and 惜 means "to cherish/regret" — something 可惜 is worthy of being cherished but is now lost, which is why it's a pity.