Expressing "no" (noun) "to" (verb) with "wu... ke..."

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This pattern is formal and has sort of a classical feel to it. It's a more condensed form of "没有 [Noun] 可以 [Verb]." 无 (wú) means "to not have" (same as 没有), and 可 can stand in for 可以. This pattern is useful when you want to express that a person is unable to perform the verb because the noun/object is not present.

Structure

无 + Noun + 可 + Verb

Sometimes the noun or the verb will have an archaic feel to it, like 处 (chù) for "place," or 归 (guī) for "return to."

Examples

  • 我 和 他 说。Wǒ hé tā huà shuō.I had nothing to say to him.
  • 公司 倒闭 了,小王 觉得 自己 现在 走。Gōngsī dǎobì le, Xiǎo Wáng juéde zìjǐ xiànzài 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 用。Gōngsī xūyào zhāopìn xīnrén le, wǒ xiànzài rén 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 做。Cóng sìyuèfèn kāishǐ, gōngsī kèhù jiǎnshǎo, wǒ měitiān dōu shì 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 去。Wǒde fángzi dàoqī le, dànshì wǒ hái méiyǒu zhǎodào xīn fángzi, wǒ xiànzài chǔ qù.My lease is up, but I haven't found a new place yet, so I have nowhere to go.
  • 很 多 30岁 以上 的 女演员 说 自己 拍。Hěn duō sānshí suì yǐshàng de nǚ yǎnyuán shuō zìjǐ pāi.Many actresses over 30 say there are no films they can do.
  • 公司 的 现金流 断 了 ,所以 公司 用。 Gōngsī de xiànjīn liú duàn le, suǒyǐ gōngsī qián yòng.The company's cash flow has been cut off, so the company has no cash it can spend.
  • 这 部 电影 太 火 了 ,所有 的 票 都 卖完 了, 买。Zhè bù diànyǐng tài huǒ le, suǒyǒu de piào dōu mài wán le, piào mǎi.This movie was so popular that all the tickets sold out and there are no more tickets for sale.
  • 我 在 上海 没有 朋友,所以 这些 烦恼 说。Wǒ zài Shànghǎi méiyǒu péngyou, suǒyǐ zhèxiē fánnǎo rén shuō.I have no friends in Shanghai, so I have no one to talk to about these worries.
  • 在 美国 大部分 无家可归 的 人 有 精神 问题 。 Zài Měiguó dàbùfen wújiākěguī de rén yǒu jīngshén wèntí.In the US, most homeless people have mental health issues.

Sources and further reading

Books

HSK5