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 无 话 可 说。I had nothing to say to him.
- 公司 倒闭 了,小王 觉得 自己 现在 无 路 可 走。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。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。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。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 无 戏 可 拍。Many actresses over 30 say there are no films they can do.
- 公司 的 现金流 断 了 ,所以 公司 无 钱 可 用。 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, 无 票 可 买。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 无 人 可 说。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 。 In the US, most homeless people have mental health issues.