无所事事

wúsuǒshìshì

to have nothing to do

HSK 7

Character Breakdown

Meaning and Usage

"无所事事" literally means "having nothing to do" or "doing nothing." It describes a state of idleness or inactivity, often implying boredom or lack of purpose.

Common Contexts

This phrase is frequently used to describe people who are not engaged in work or meaningful activities, such as retirees, students on vacation, or anyone temporarily without tasks.

Collocations and Patterns

Nuances

Using "无所事事" often carries a slightly negative or pitying tone, suggesting that the person should be more productive or find something meaningful to do.

Common Confusion

Do not confuse "无所事事" with "" (nothing wrong) or "没事" (no problem). "无所事事" specifically refers to having no work or activity to do.

Example Sentences

他整天无所事事,觉得很无聊。

Tā zhěng tiān wúsuǒshìshì, juéde hěn wúliáo.

He spends the whole day doing nothing and feels very bored.

退休后,他不想无所事事,决定学习新的技能。

Tuìxiū hòu, tā bù xiǎng wúsuǒshìshì, juédìng xuéxí xīn de jìnéng.

After retirement, he didn’t want to do nothing, so he decided to learn new

年轻人无所事事容易迷失方向,应该找到目标。

Niánqīng rén wúsuǒshìshì róngyì míshī fāngxiàng, yīnggāi zhǎodào mùbiāo.

Young people who do nothing easily lose direction; they should find a goal.