Chinese word

没门

Pronunciation

Pinyinméi mén

Meaning

  • interjectionno way

Example

让我在周末工作？没门。ràng wǒ zài zhōu mò gōng zuò méi mén

Make me work this weekend? No way.

Illustration for 没门 (no way)

More examples

你要我把钱借给他？没门。nǐ yào wǒ bǎ qián jiè gěi tā méi mén

You want me to lend him the money? No way.

Core concept

A firmly shut entrance leaves no route forward, so the matter has no opening or chance of success.

Common phrases

  • 根本没门gēn běn méi mén

    no way at all

  • 绝对没门jué duì méi mén

    absolutely no way

Similar words

没戏méi xì: A short, casual statement that an expected success or result is very unlikely.
不行bù xíng: A brief spoken refusal meaning that a suggestion or request cannot be accepted.
门都没有mén dōu méi yǒu: A strong, casual statement that there is absolutely no chance of something happening.

Definition in Chinese

口语中用来表示某事绝无可能性的短促否定语，语气比一般的“不行”更强烈。kóu yǔ zhōng yòng lái biǎo shì mǒu shì jué wú kě néng xìng de duǎn cù fǒu dìng yǔ yǔ qì bǐ yì bān de bù xíng gèng qiáng liè

Word origin

没 (méi, "not have") + 门 (mén, "door") literally suggests that no entrance exists, a concrete image that developed into a fixed colloquial refusal.

Usage tips

  • Its blunt, emphatic tone suits casual disagreement among friends but can sound rude in formal or workplace conversation, where a neutral refusal is safer.

Other meanings

  • not happeninginterjection
  • impossibleinterjection

Opposites

Word lists with this word