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没戏 (méi xì) — (colloquial) to have no chance, to be hopeless

Definition

没戏 (méi xì) is a colloquial 'no chance / hopeless' — used as a blunt verdict on a situation or someone's plan, not a neutral state. Often a reply (e.g. to 想…), sharper than saying something is just difficult.

verb
(colloquial) to have no chanceto be hopeless

Examples

  • 没戏。
    Zhè cì kǎo shì wǒ méi xì le.
    I have no chance in this exam.
  • 。
    Tā zhè cì bǐ sài méi tā de xì le.
    He has no chance in this competition.
  • ？没戏！
    Nǐ xiǎng zhuī tā? méi xì!
    You want to pursue her? No chance!

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

没méihave no
戏xìplay

没 gives have no and 戏 gives play or chance, together meaning there is no chance.

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 戲; 戏 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
戈戈gēhalberd
Sound part声符shēngfú
䖒
䖒䖒戲xì
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 戲, the shape combines 戈 (halberd) with 䖒, which gives the sound; the word originally meant an army's wing or flank. The simplified 戏 is a later shorthand, not the form described here.

Open 戏 →
Appears in
Success & Failure

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