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。Gōng sī dǎo bì le, xiǎo wáng jué de zì jǐ xiàn zài 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。Gōng sī xū yào zhāo pìn xīn rén le, wǒ xiàn zài 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 sì yuè fèn kāi shǐ, gōng sī kè hù jiǎn shǎo, wǒ měi tiān 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。Wǒ de fáng zi dào qī le, dàn shì wǒ hái méi yǒu zhǎo dào xīn fáng zi, wǒ xiàn zài wú chù kě qù.My lease is up, but I haven't found a new place yet, so I have nowhere to go.