HSK 7-9
无A可B
wú A kě B
No A to B; nothing A-able to B
Structure
无 (No/Without) + Noun (A) + 可 (Can/To be) + Verb (B)
How it works
This formal idiomatic structure indicates that there is no 'A' to perform the action 'B'. It expresses a state of exhaustion or completion where the noun A is either non-existent or has been entirely used up in relation to the verb B.
Examples
他已经走投无路，陷入了无话可说的境地。
Tā yǐjīng zǒutóuwúlù, xiànrùle wú huà kě shuō de jìngdì.
He has reached a dead end and has fallen into a situation where there is nothing left to say.
面对证据，他感到无理可辩。
Miànduì zhèngjù, tā gǎndào wú lǐ kě biàn.
Facing the evidence, he felt he had no logic/reason to argue with.
这部电影让他觉得无趣可言。
Zhè bù diànyǐng ràng tā juéde wú qù kě yán.
This movie made him feel there was no interest to speak of.
Common mistakes
Users often try to insert a direct object after the verb (B), but since 'A' already functions as the object of the action 'B', adding another object is redundant and grammatically incorrect.
Tip
Think of this structure as a more formal version of '没有 (A) 可以 (B)'. Many of these are fixed four-character idioms (Chengyu), so it is helpful to memorize the most common ones like 无话可说 (nothing to say) or 无家可归 (homeless).
More HSK 7-9 grammar
See 无A可B in real Chinese
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