TongTong
Sign in

没劲 (méi jìn) — (adjective) boring, uninteresting; (verb adjective) to have no energy, to feel weak or listless

Definition

没劲 covers two senses: 'boring' (things) and 'listless/no energy' (people). For 'boring' it's more colloquial than 枯燥; for 'listless' it overlaps with 没意思 used of a person's mood.

adjective
boringuninteresting
verb
(verb adjective) to have no energyto feel weak or listless

Examples

  • 没劲，。
    Zhè ge diàn yǐng tài méi jìn le, wǒ bù xiǎng kàn.
    This movie is too boring, I don't want to watch it.
  • ，没劲。
    Wǒ jīn tiān méi shuì hǎo, hún shēn méi jìn.
    I didn't sleep well today, my whole body feels weak.
  • 没劲，。
    Tā zuì jìn zǒng shì jué de hěn méi jìn, shén me dōu lǎn de zuò.
    Lately he always feels listless, too lazy to do anything.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

没méinot have
劲jìnstrength

没 means not have and 劲 means strength, so lacking strength extends to something boring.

Characters in this word

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 沒; 没 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠬛
𠬛𠬛沒mò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 沒 pairs 水 (water) with 𠬛 as a sound part; this note is about 沒, not the simplified 没.

Open 没 →

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 勁; 劲 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
巠
巠jīng勁jìn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 勁 pairs 力, meaning strength, with 巠, which gives the sound; the simplified 劲 is a shorthand and its parts are not the original ones.

Open 劲 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & FeelingsGood & Bad

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