べくもない | Grammar

Structure

[verb (dictionary form)] + べくもないする → すべくもない

Description

べくもない means "there is no way to…": the thing is so far out of reach that it is not even a possibility. It follows the dictionary form of a verb, and する becomes すべくもない. It is literary; in speech the same idea is 〜～ようがない or 〜～はずがない.

。

Winning the championship is out of the question.

、。

There is no way someone like me could compare to his talent.

。

There was no way to predict that outcome.

The verbs it goes with

べくもない turns up with a small set of verbs, and most uses are one of these: のぞむ望む "hope for", くらべる比べる "compare", しる知る "know", うたがう疑う "doubt".

。

There is no doubting that he is innocent.

、。

There was no way to know what became of him after that.

says the two are not in the same league: one is far ahead of the other.

べくもない or ようがない

follows the ます-stem and is ordinary spoken Japanese: there is no means of doing it. べくもない says the same thing in writing, with a note of resignation.

、。

I don't know his contact details, so there's no way to get in touch.

、。

With the technology of the time, the cause could not possibly be determined.

Examples

、。

It's a small company that cannot possibly be compared to that large corporation, but the work is rewarding.

、。

The suffering of those who experienced the war is beyond anything we could possibly imagine.

、。

There was no way to know what became of him after that.

、。

The cause of the accident could not possibly have been determined with the technology of that time.

、。

It was a situation where hoping for a championship was impossible, but a miracle happened.

。

Her beauty cannot possibly be expressed in words.

、。

The skill of that master performer is something an amateur like me could never hope to imitate.

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No one could have possibly predicted this outcome.

。

Life in the old days cannot possibly be compared to the convenience of today.

、。

A parent's feelings are something that a child cannot possibly understand.

References

Advanced ～べき phrases～べくもない～べからず・ざる～べimabi.org
べくもないBunpro