无效 (wú xiào) — invalid, ineffective, in vain

Definition

无效 describes something that has no legal force or produces no result — used for contracts, certificates, and medicines. Closest to 失效 (which focuses on something ceasing to be valid over time); 白白 stresses effort wasted, not a document's status.

verb

invalidineffectivein vain

Examples

无效。
Zhè fèn hé tong yǐ jīng wú xiào le.
This contract is already invalid.
，无效。
Tā shì le hǎo jǐ cì, dàn dōu shì wú xiào de.
He tried several times, but all were in vain.
无效。
Zhè zhǒng yào duì tā wán quán wú xiào.
This medicine is completely ineffective for him.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

无wúwithout

效xiàoeffect

“无” means without, and “效” means effect, giving the sense of lacking effect or being invalid.

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 →

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

交攵效

Meaning part形符xíngfú

攵Written in full as攴pūto strike; action

Sound part声符shēngfú

交

交jiāo效xiào

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

效 pairs 攵 (written in full as 攴), meaning “to strike; action,” with 交, which gives the sound.

Open 效 →

Appears in