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一无是处 (yī wú shì chù) — completely useless, good for nothing; having no redeeming qualities

Definition

A strong, total criticism meaning 'has not a single redeeming point.' Often used after criticism or in negation to soften a harsh judgment (e.g. 不是一无是处 = 'not without some merit').

idiom
completely uselessgood for nothinghaving no redeeming qualities

Examples

  • ，一无是处。
    Suī rán tā méi kǎo shàng dà xué, dàn yě bú shì yī wú shì chù.
    Although he didn't get into university, he's not completely useless.
  • 一无是处。
    Lǎo bǎn bǎ nà ge fāng àn pī píng dé yī wú shì chù.
    The boss criticized that plan as having no merit at all.
  • ，一无是处。
    Měi gè rén dōu yǒu zì jǐ de yōu diǎn, bú yào jué de zì jǐ yī wú shì chù.
    Everyone has their own strengths; don't think you're good for nothing.

Origin

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Open 一 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 是 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesGood & Bad

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