Sentence PatternsHSK 5
Expressing "no" (noun) "to" (verb) with 无... 可...
The pattern 无 + Noun + 可 + Verb means "there is no Noun to Verb," expressing a lack of options or resources. It is more common in formal or written Chinese and often uses nouns with an archaic feel like 处 (place) or 路 (way). Be careful not to use it for general negation of existence; it specifically means there is no suitable thing or person to perform the verb on.
Structure
无 + Noun + 可 + Verb
Examples
- 我和他无话可说。Wǒ hé tā wú huà kě shuō.I had nothing to say to him.
- 公司倒闭了,小王觉得自己现在无路可走。Gōngsī dǎobì le, Xiǎo Wáng juéde zìjǐ xiànzài wú lù kě zǒu.The company has gone bankrupt, and Xiao Wang feels that he has nowhere to go.
- 公司需要招聘新人了,我现在无人可用。Gōngsī xūyào zhāopìn xīnrén le, wǒ xiànzài wú rén kě yòng.The company needs to recruit new people. I have no one to help me now.
- 从四月份开始,公司客户减少,我每天都无事可做。Cóng sìyuèfèn kāishǐ, gōngsī kèhù jiǎnshǎo, wǒ měitiān dōu wú shì kě zuò.Since April, the company has fewer clients, so I have nothing to do every day.
- 我的房子到期了,但是我还没有找到新房子,我现在无处可去。Wǒde fángzi dàoqī le, dànshì wǒ hái méiyǒu zhǎodào xīn fángzi, wǒ xiànzài wú chǔ kě qù.My lease is up, but I haven't found a new place yet, so I have nowhere to go.