没辙 (méi zhé) — (colloquial) to be at one's wit's end; to have…

Definition

Colloquial verb for being stuck with no way out — much more casual than the written idioms 束手无策 and 一筹莫展, which are set phrases for formal writing.

verb

(colloquial) to be at one's wit's endto have no solutionto be utterly stuck

，没辙。
Zhè jiàn shì tài nán le, wǒ shì zhēn méi zhé le.
This matter is too difficult; I'm truly at my wit's end.
没辙，。
Dà jiā dōu méi zhé le, zhǐ néng děng jiù yuán.
Everyone is stuck; we can only wait for rescue.
，没辙。
Shǒu jī méi diàn le, wǒ chè dǐ méi zhé le.
My phone's battery is dead; I'm completely stuck.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

没 means having no, and 辙 means a track or way; together they picture having no path to follow, hence being stuck.

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

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.

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 轍; 辙 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

車車jūwagon

Sound part声符shēngfú

徹

徹chè轍zhé

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 轍 combines 車 (wagon) with a sound component 徹, and the meaning is wagon tracks; the simplified 辙 is a shorthand.

Appears in