Word: 只能 (zhǐnéng)

他只能看着。

Tā zhǐnéng kànzhe.

He could only watch.

他没有本钱，只能先打工。

Tā méiyǒu běnqián, zhǐnéng xiān dǎgōng.

He has no capital, so he can only work for others first.

他没有选择，只能辞职。

Tā méiyǒu xuǎnzé, zhǐnéng cízhí.

He has no choice but to resign.

南山上的核桃，只能砸着吃

Nánshān shàng de hétao, zhǐnéng zázhe chī

walnuts from South Mountain: can only be eaten by smashing them

古时候人们只能坐船渡江。

Gǔshíhou rénmen zhǐnéng zuò chuán dù Jiāng.

In ancient times, people could only cross the river by boat.

只能在没有月亮的晚上见到地精。

Zhǐnéng zài méiyǒu yuèliang de wǎnshang jiàndào dì jīng.

Kobolds can only be seen on moonless nights.

夜里只能看见他的轮廓。

Yèli zhǐnéng kànjiàn tā de lúnkuò.

At night, you could only see his silhouette.

女性永远只能扮演次要角色吗？

Nǚxìng yǒngyuǎn zhǐnéng bànyǎn cìyào juésè ma?

Must the woman always play the secondary role?

她刚入行，只能先跑龙套。

Tā gāng rù háng, zhǐnéng xiān pǎolóngtào.

She's just started out, so she can only play small roles for now.

她没有工作，只能靠哥哥接济。

Tā méiyǒu gōngzuò, zhǐnéng kào gēge jiējì.

She has no job and can only rely on her brother's support.

学习没有捷径，只能多练习。

Xuéxí méiyǒu jiéjìng, zhǐnéng duō liànxí.

There are no shortcuts in learning; you just have to practice more.

实验中只能改变一个变量。

Shíyàn zhōng zhǐnéng gǎibiàn yí gè biànliàng.

In an experiment, you can only change one variable.

微波炉坏了，我们只能用锅热菜。

Wēibōlú huàile, wǒmen zhǐnéng yòng guō rècài.

The microwave is broken, so we can only reheat the food in a pot.

我只能代表我自己讲话。

Wǒ zhǐnéng dàibiǎo wǒ zìjǐ jiǎnghuà.

I can only speak for myself.

我只能找到两个。

Wǒ zhǐnéng zhǎodào liǎng gè.

I could only find two.

我只能看到闪烁的灯光。

Wǒ zhǐnéng kàndào shǎnshuò de dēngguāng.

All I could see was the flickering lights.

我只能给你十分钟。

Wǒ zhǐnéng gěi nǐ shí fēnzhōng.

I can only give you ten minutes.

我只能走路，因为打不到出租车。

Wǒ zhǐnéng zǒulù, yīnwèi dǎ búdào chūzūchē.

There are no taxis, so I must walk.

我只能那样做。

Wǒ zhǐnéng nàyàng zuò.

I couldn't do otherwise.

我要告诉你的只能你我知道。

Wǒ yào gàosu nǐ de zhǐnéng nǐ wǒ zhīdào.

What I'm about to say is strictly between you and me.

有些人只能成为朋友。

Yǒuxiē rén zhǐnéng chéngwéi péngyou.

Some people must be friendzoned.

现状就是这样，我们只能慢慢来。

Xiànzhuàng jiùshì zhèyàng, wǒmen zhǐnéng mànmànlái.

That's how things stand now, so we can only take it slowly.

蛇钻到竹筒里，只能走这条道儿

shé zuān dào zhútǒng lǐ, zhǐnéng zǒu zhè tiáo dàor

a snake crawling into a bamboo tube: it can only go this way

车坏了，他无奈只能走路。

Chē huàile, tā wúnài zhǐnéng zǒulù.

His car broke down, so he had no choice but to walk.

过河的卒子，只能进，不能退

guòhé de zúzǐ, zhǐnéng jìn, bùnéng tuì

a pawn that has crossed the river: it can only advance, never retreat

这个你只能用一次。

Zhège nǐ zhǐnéng yòng yícì.

You can only use it once.

这张票只能当天使用。

Zhè zhāng piào zhǐnéng dàngtiān shǐyòng.

This ticket can only be used on the same day.

这架轻型飞机只能坐两个人。

Zhè jià qīngxíng fēijī zhǐnéng zuò liǎng gè rén.

This light aircraft seats only two people.