没意思 (méi yì si) — boring; uninteresting; of no interest

Definition

Colloquial way to say something is boring or no fun. Contrasts with 有意思 ('interesting'); 无聊 can also describe feeling bored yourself, while 没意思 describes the thing that bores you.

phrase
boringuninterestingof no interest

Examples

  • 没意思。
    Zhè běn shū hěn méi yì si.
    This book is very boring.
  • 没意思？
    Nǐ jué de yóu yǒng méi yì si ma?
    Do you think swimming is boring?
  • 没意思。
    Jīn tiān yí gè rén zài jiā hěn méi yì si.
    Being at home alone today is very boring.

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
意思meaning
意yìidea思sīthought
联合Side by side

没 not have and 意思 meaning combine to say that something lacks interest or significance.

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 意 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
囟
囟xìn思sī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 思, 心 (heart) points to thinking, while the top part is a changed form of 囟, which supplied the sound.

Open 思 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 2Good & Bad

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