Definition
奈何 is a classical verb that survives in modern Chinese mainly in negative constructions (无可奈何 'have no choice', 奈何不了 'cannot cope with') and in rhetorical questions (奈何？ 'what to do?'). It conveys a sense of being unable to manage or control a situation. In adversarial contexts, it can mean 'to do something to someone' (谁也奈何不了他 'no one can do anything to him'). It is formal/literary in register and rarely used in positive statements.
v.
to cope withto deal withto do something to (someone) (often in negative constructions like 无可奈何, 奈何不了)why?for what reason?how? (used in rhetorical questions)
Examples
- ，奈何。Tā zuòbì bèi zhuā, shéi yě nài hé bù liǎo tā.He was caught cheating, and no one can do anything to him.
- ，奈何？Shìqing yǐjīng rúcǐ, nài hé?Things are already like this; what can be done?
- ，奈何。Zhè zhǒng júmiàn, tā nài hé bù liǎo.He cannot cope with this situation.
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