Meaning of 无聊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- bored
- boring
- senseless
How to use 无聊
无聊 can describe how a person feels (bored) or describe a thing or activity (boring). It can also mean silly or pointless, as in a senseless joke or behavior. Example: 这部电影太无聊了。(Zhè bù diànyǐng tài wúliáo le.) This movie is so boring.
无 (wú) means "without" and 聊 (liáo) means "to chat." With no one to chat with and nothing to talk about, you feel 无聊 (wúliáo), bored.
Common mistake: English speakers often say 我很无聊 to mean "I am bored," which is fine, but it can also sound like "I am a boring person." Context usually makes it clear, and 我觉得很无聊 (wǒ juéde hěn wúliáo) clearly means "I feel bored."
无聊 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
无 wú · not to have · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
聊 liáo · to chat · 11 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Related words
Words that share a character with 无聊.
| 无法 | wúfǎ | unable to; incapable of |
| 无论 | wúlùn | no matter what or how; regardless of whether... |
| 无所谓 | wúsuǒwèi | to be indifferent; not to matter |
| 无数 | wúshù | countless; numberless |
| 无限 | wúxiàn | unlimited; unbounded; infinite |
| 无疑 | wúyí | undoubtedly; without doubt |
| 无奈 | wúnài | to have no alternative; frustrated |
| 无关 | wúguān | unrelated; having nothing to do (with sth else) |
| 无效 | wúxiào | not valid; ineffective |
| 无边 | wúbiān | without boundary; not bordered |
| 聊天儿 | liáotiānr | erhua variant of 聊天[liao2 tian1] |
| 无辜 | wúgū | blameless; innocent; the innocent |
Questions about 无聊
What does 无聊 mean?
无聊 (wúliáo) means "bored; boring" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 无聊?
无聊 is made of 2 characters: 无 (4 strokes), 聊 (11 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 无聊 an HSK word?
Yes. 无聊 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 无聊 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 无聊 is written 無聊.
Can 无聊 be used to criticize someone?
Yes. Saying 你真无聊 (nǐ zhēn wúliáo) can mean "you are so silly" or "that was pointless of you," often when someone does something annoying or childish. The tone can range from teasing to genuinely critical.
How is 无聊 different from 没意思?
没意思 (méi yìsi) means "not interesting" and is a little softer and more casual. 无聊 is stronger and can also mean senseless or silly, which 没意思 does not usually cover.