Sentence PatternsHSK 5

Expressing "no" (noun) "to" (verb) with 无... 可...

The pattern 无 + Noun + 可 + Verb means "there is no Noun to Verb," expressing a lack of options or resources. It is more common in formal or written Chinese and often uses nouns with an archaic feel like 处 (place) or 路 (way). Be careful not to use it for general negation of existence; it specifically means there is no suitable thing or person to perform the verb on.

Structure

无 + Noun + 可 + Verb

Examples

  • 我和他说。
    Wǒ hé tā wú huà kě shuō.
    I had nothing to say to him.
  • 公司倒闭了,小王觉得自己现在走。
    Gōngsī dǎobì le, Xiǎo Wáng juéde zìjǐ xiànzài wú lù kě zǒu.
    The company has gone bankrupt, and Xiao Wang feels that he has nowhere to go.
  • 公司需要招聘新人了,我现在用。
    Gōngsī xūyào zhāopìn xīnrén le, wǒ xiànzài wú rén kě yòng.
    The company needs to recruit new people. I have no one to help me now.
  • 从四月份开始,公司客户减少,我每天都做。
    Cóng sìyuèfèn kāishǐ, gōngsī kèhù jiǎnshǎo, wǒ měitiān dōu wú shì kě zuò.
    Since April, the company has fewer clients, so I have nothing to do every day.
  • 我的房子到期了,但是我还没有找到新房子,我现在去。
    Wǒde fángzi dàoqī le, dànshì wǒ hái méiyǒu zhǎodào xīn fángzi, wǒ xiànzài wú chǔ kě qù.
    My lease is up, but I haven't found a new place yet, so I have nowhere to go.

Words that use this