无缘无故 (wú yuán wú gù) — without cause or reason; for no reason at all

Definition

A fixed pair meaning 'for no reason at all' — emphasizes that nothing caused it. Usually modifies a negative or surprising event (无缘无故发脾气 / 被批评), not a neutral one.

idiom

without cause or reasonfor no reason at all

Examples

无缘无故。
Tā wú yuán wú gù fā le yí dùn pí qi.
He threw a fit for no reason.
无缘无故。
Zhè zhǒng qíng kuàng bú huì wú yuán wú gù fā shēng.
This kind of situation doesn't happen without a reason.
无缘无故。
Tā wú yuán wú gù bèi pī píng le yí dùn.
She was scolded for no reason.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

无缘no cause

无wúwithout缘yuáncause

动宾Verb + object

无故no reason

无wúwithout故gùreason

动宾Verb + object

“无缘” means no cause and “无故” means no reason, together giving without rhyme or reason.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 緣; 缘 is its simplified writing.

糹彖緣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糹Written in full as糸mì

Sound part声符shēngfú

彖

彖tuàn緣⁰yuán

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 緣 puts 糸 (silk) beside 彖, which gives the sound; the simplified 缘 is a later abbreviation.

Open 缘 →