没法儿 meaning in English
(coll.) can't do anything about it; (coll.) there's no way that ...; it's simply not credible that ...
Meaning of 没法儿
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (coll.) can't do anything about it
- (coll.) there's no way that ...; it's simply not credible that ...
- (coll.) couldn't be (better) (i.e. simply wonderful)
How to use 没法儿
没法儿 is casual spoken Chinese for "there's nothing I can do" or "can't manage to," often placed right before a verb. It can also mean something is unbelievable, or in 没法儿 + adjective, so good it can't be beaten. Example: 雨太大了，我们没法儿出去。(Yǔ tài dà le, wǒmen méifǎr chūqù.) The rain is too heavy, we can't go out.
没 (méi) means "not have" and 法 (fǎ) means "method" or "way," so 没法儿 is literally "have no way." The 儿 (r) on the end is the spoken northern touch, like the r in 哪儿 (nǎr).
Common mistake: Learners often read 儿 as a separate syllable ér, saying méi fǎ ér, but it merges into the previous sound to give méifǎr. Also, do not write 法 with the similar 去-less look of 汁 or confuse it with 发 (fā), which sounds close but means "send."
没法儿 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.
没 méi · have not · 7 strokes
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法 fǎ · law · 8 strokes
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儿 ér · son · 2 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 没法儿.
| 没有 | méiyǒu | haven't; hasn't |
| 这儿 | zhèr | here |
| 儿子 | érzi | son |
| 哪儿 | nǎr | where?; wherever; anywhere; somewhere |
| 没什么 | méi shénme | it doesn't matter; it's nothing; never mind; think nothing of it; it's my pleasure; you're |
| 女儿 | nǚ'ér | daughter |
| 那儿 | nàr | there |
| 没关系 | méi guānxi | it doesn't matter |
| 一会儿 | yīhuìr | a moment; a while |
| 没事儿 | méishìr | to have spare time; free from work |
| 一点儿 | yīdiǎnr | erhua variant of 一點|一点[yi1 dian3] |
| 女孩儿 | nǚháir | erhua form of 女孩[nu : 3 hai2] |
Questions about 没法儿
What does 没法儿 mean?
没法儿 (méifǎr) means "(coll.) can't do anything about it; (coll.) there's no way that ...; it's simply not credible that ..." and is used as a verb.
How do you write 没法儿?
没法儿 is made of 3 characters: 没 (7 strokes), 法 (8 strokes), 儿 (2 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 没法儿 an HSK word?
Yes. 没法儿 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 没法儿 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 没法儿 is written 沒法兒.
What is the difference between 没法儿 and 没办法?
Both mean "there's no way" or "nothing can be done." 没办法 (méi bànfǎ) is more neutral and common across all regions, while 没法儿 sounds more colloquial and northern. In writing or southern speech, people often just say 没法 (méifǎ) without the 儿.
How does 没法儿 mean "couldn't be better"?
When followed by an adjective like 好 or 说, it means the quality goes beyond description. For example, 这菜好吃得没法儿说 (zhè cài hǎochī de méifǎr shuō) means "this dish is too delicious for words." Context tells you whether it is a complaint or praise.