可かもなく不ふ可かもなし

Meanings

neither good nor bad; so-so; passable

A set phrase used to describe something that is mediocre, unremarkable, or just acceptable. Often used in evaluations or reviews.

この映えい画がは可かもなく不ふ可かもなしという感かんじだった。
This movie was neither good nor bad, just so-so.
彼かれの成せい績せきは可かもなく不ふ可かもなしだ。
His grades are passable, nothing special.

Kanji

可can, passable, approval
不negative, non-, bad
無nothingness, none, ain't

Related words

まあまあ
まあまあ is a more casual, everyday word for 'so-so' or 'okay', while 可もなく不可もなし is a more formal, idiomatic expression often used in written evaluations.
普ふ通つう
普通 means 'normal' or 'ordinary' and is a neutral descriptor, whereas 可もなく不可もなし explicitly conveys a lack of outstanding positive or negative qualities.

Built from

可か+不ふ可か

Written forms

可かもなく不ふ可かもなし
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling.
可かも無なく不ふ可かも無なし
Alternate spelling using 無く/無し instead of なく/なし.
可かもなく不ふ可かも無なし
Mixed spelling with なく and 無し.

Etymology

A set phrase combining 可 (good, acceptable) and 不可 (not good, unacceptable) with the structure 〜もなく〜もなし (neither ... nor ...). The exact origin is uncertain, but it follows a classical Chinese-influenced pattern of balanced negation.