TongTong
Sign in

无奈 (wú nài) — helpless, having no alternative; (conjunction) but unfortunately

Definition

无奈 covers two uses: an adjective meaning 'helpless' (about a situation, not a person's ability — that's 无能为力) and a conjunction meaning 'but unfortunately'. For the feeling of frustration, 郁闷 is gloomier; 无奈 is milder resignation.

verb
helplesshaving no alternative
conjunction
but unfortunately

Examples

  • ，无奈。
    Miàn duì zhè zhǒng qíng kuàng, wǒ men hěn wú nài.
    Facing this situation, we are helpless.
  • ，无奈。
    Tā nǔ lì le, wú nài hái shì shī bài le.
    He tried hard, but unfortunately still failed.
  • 无奈。
    Zhè jiàn shì ràng wǒ hěn wú nài.
    This matter makes me very helpless.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

无wúno/without
奈nàiway to deal with

The sense comes from 无 (no/without) plus 奈 (way to deal with), giving nothing to do.

Characters in this word

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 奈 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Emotions & Feelings

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.