TongTong
Sign in

无话可说 (wú huà kě shuō) — to have nothing to say (idiom); speechless (from shock, guilt, or resignation)

Definition

An idiom meaning 'to have nothing to say' — usually from shock, guilt, or falling silent after a falling-out, not just choosing not to speak. Unlike 一言不发 / 一声不吭, which stress absolute silence, this phrase implies a conversation that has run dry.

phrase
to have nothing to say (idiom)speechless (from shock, guilt, or resignation)

Examples

  • ，无话可说。
    Miàn duì zhè xiē zhèng jù, tā wú huà kě shuō.
    Faced with this evidence, he had nothing to say.
  • ，无话可说。
    Chǎo wán jià hòu, tā men liǎ wú huà kě shuō le.
    After the argument, the two of them had nothing to say to each other.
  • ，无话可说。
    Tīng dào zhè ge jié guǒ, wǒ wú huà kě shuō.
    Hearing this result, I was speechless.

Origin

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 話; 话 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánword
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠯑
𠯑𠯑話huà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 話, 言 relates to words and 𠯑 gives the sound; the simplified 话 is a shorthand, so its right side is not that sound part.

Open 话 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丂
丂kǎo可kě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

可 pairs 口 (mouth) with 丂 as a sound part; it is tied to air from the mouth, perhaps singing.

Open 可 →

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 說; 说 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
兌
兌duì說shuō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 說 pairs 言 (meaning) with 兌 (sound); the simplified 说 is not the form described here.

Open 说 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Communication & SpeechIdioms & Set Phrases

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.