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没门 (méi mén) — (idiom, colloquial) no way; impossible (used to reject requests)

Definition

Colloquial idiom meaning 'no way / impossible,' used to flatly reject a request. Stronger and more casual than 不行, which simply says 'that won't work.'

verb
(idiom, colloquial) no wayimpossible (used to reject requests)

Examples

  • ？没门！
    Nǐ xiǎng jiè qián? méi mén!
    You want to borrow money? No way!
  • ，没门。
    Tā qiú le wǒ bàn tiān, wǒ hái shì shuō méi mén.
    He begged me for ages, but I still said no.
  • 没门，。
    Zhè shì méi mén shāng liang, nǐ lìng xiǎng bàn fǎ ba.
    This matter is non-negotiable — find another way.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

没méinot have
门méndoor

没 (not have) and 门 (door) together mean there is no door, hence no way.

Characters in this word

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 沒; 没 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠬛
𠬛𠬛沒mò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 沒 pairs 水 (water) with 𠬛 as a sound part; this note is about 沒, not the simplified 没.

Open 没 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →
Appears in
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