HSK · Level 120
45 words
Chinese word
无所事事
Pronunciation
Pinyinwú suǒ shì shì
Meaning
- idiomhave nothing to do
Example
他整天无所事事，不知道做什么。tā zhěng tiān wú suǒ shì shì bù zhī dào zuò shén me
He has nothing to do all day and doesn't know what to do.
More examples
大学毕业后，他一度无所事事，后来决定报读进修课程。dà xué bì yè hòu tā yí dù wú suǒ shì shì hòu lái jué dìng bào dú jìn xiū kè chéng
After graduating from college, he had nothing to do for a while, but later decided to enroll in a continuing education course.
Core concept
A person left with no meaningful task, drifting through an unoccupied day.
Common phrases
整天无所事事zhěng tiān wú suǒ shì shì
have nothing to do all day
过着无所事事的生活guò zhe wú suǒ shì shì de shēng huó
live a life of doing nothing
无所事事的青年wú suǒ shì shì de qīng nián
young person with nothing to do
Similar words
游手好闲yóu shǒu hào xián: Loafing around without working or studying, with a habit of avoiding useful activity.
不务正业bú wù zhèng yè: Failing to attend to one's proper work or studies, often by pursuing other activities.
虚度光阴xū dù guāng yīn: Letting time pass uselessly instead of using it for a worthwhile purpose.
Definition in Chinese
没有事情需要做，带有消极或无聊的意味，强调处于闲散的状态。méi yǒu shì qíng xū yào zuò dài yǒu xiāo jí huò wú liáo de yì wèi qiáng diào chǔ yú xián sàn de zhuàng tài
Word origin
In the classical pattern 无所 (wúsuǒ, "there is nothing to..."), 事 (shì, "affair") supplies the thing absent, making the whole idiom mean that no affair occupies a person's time.
Usage tips
- In conversation, it can sound more bookish than everyday wording, so it often appears in narration, comments, or descriptions of a person's routine.
Other meanings
- loaf aroundidiom
Opposites
- 有所作为yóu suǒ zuò wéiaccomplish somethingidiom
Related words
- 无所事事地wú suǒ shì shì dìidlyadverb