English–Chinese
“do nothing” in Chinese
Chinese
Pronunciation
Pinyinwú suǒ zuò wéi
Example
你不能在问题面前无所作为，要想办法解决。nǐ bù néng zài wèn tí miàn qián wú suǒ zuò wéi yào xiǎng bàn fǎ jiě jué
You cannot simply do nothing when faced with a problem; you have to find a way to solve it.
How to say “do nothing” in Chinese
“Do nothing” in Chinese is 无所作为 (wú suǒ zuò wéi).
A person leaves an empty gap where useful action should be, showing withdrawal from a duty rather than ordinary rest.
Example sentences with 无所作为
长期无所作为会影响职业发展。cháng qī wú suǒ zuò wéi huì yíng xiǎng zhí yè fā zhǎn
Doing nothing for a long time can affect your career development.
Tips for using 无所作为
- For a simple report of what happened, Chinese often uses a neutral action verb instead; this word adds a judgment about the response.