Skip to content

一事无成

yī shì wú chéng
HSK 3.0 Level 7 Uncommon

Sign in to save this word to your study lists.

Definitions

  1. 1. to have achieved nothing
  2. 2. to be a total failure
  3. 3. to get nowhere

Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item
功成名就
gōng chéng míng jiù

to win success and recognition (idiom)

形容取得很大成就，与“一事无成”完全相反

Related words

1 item
徒劳无功
tú láo wú gōng

to work to no avail (idiom)

强调努力了但没有成效，而“一事无成”侧重结果上无成就

Usage notes

Common mistakes

“一事无成”是整体固定的成语，不能说“二事无成”或改变内部结构。

Formality

该成语略带书面色彩，常用于自我感叹或批评他人，口语中也可用“啥也没干成”表达类似意思。

Example Sentences

1 shown
他忙了几年，却 一事无成 。
He was busy for several years, but accomplished nothing.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 一事无成

一
yī

one

事
shì

matter

成
chéng

to succeed

无
wú

not to have

无成
wú chéng

achieving nothing