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HSK 2.0 Level 4+ HSK 3.0 Level 4+ 6 min read

Four-Character Pattern 无A无B

Use 无A无B phrases like 无忧无虑 and 无缘无故 to say something has no A and no B at all.

Pattern

无 + A + 无 + B (A and B: two related one-syllable words)

无A无B says “no” twice: no A, no B, nothing at all.

小时候，我们过着无忧无虑的生活。

When to use Four-Character Pattern 无A无B

无 is the formal, written word for 没有 “not have”. In 无A无B it comes before each of two related one-syllable words, so the phrase means “without A and without B”, stressing that something is completely absent: 无忧无虑 “without worries, carefree”, 无边无际 “without edge or end, boundless”. Most of these phrases are fixed, so learn them as whole words.

从飞机上往下看，大海无边无际。

Looking down from the plane, the sea seemed to go on forever.

他无缘无故地生气了，我也不知道为什么。

He got angry for no reason, and I have no idea why.

知识是无穷无尽的，我们要一直学习。

Knowledge is endless, so we should keep learning.

一转眼，小猫就跑得无影无踪了。

In the blink of an eye, the kitten had vanished without a trace.

Common traps

  • Don’t use 无 on its own in everyday speech: say 我没有钱, not 我无钱.
  • Don’t invent new 无A无B phrases: say 没有桌子，也没有椅子, not 无桌无椅. Use the set phrases you have learned.
  • 无A无B is already strong, so don’t add 很: say 生活无忧无虑, not 生活很无忧无虑.

Targeted drill

Practice this exact pattern before moving on.

他 地学习

He studies wholeheartedly
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