Nothing to … / cannot be …-ed (无可)

Structure 无可 + verb (one or two syllables)

无可 (wú kě) means "there is nothing that (one can)…" and places that negation before a verb: literally "have nothing to + verb". It belongs to the written, formal register and almost always appears lexicalized in fixed four-character idioms: 无可奉告 = "no comment" (nothing to report), 无可厚非 = "not to be harshly blamed, understandable", 无可奈何 = "to have no choice, be helpless", 无可挑剔 = "impeccable, beyond reproach". It is the condensed, formal version of 没有什么可以… (HSK 3-4); in modern Chinese it is more natural to memorize the idioms than to build 无可 freely.

Examples

对duì于yú此cǐ事shì，我wǒ无wú可kě奉fèng告gào。
On this matter, I have no comment.
他tā年nián轻qīng气qì盛shèng，犯fàn点diǎn小xiǎo错cuò，无wú可kě厚hòu非fēi。
He's young and hot-headed; making a small mistake is hardly blameworthy.
事shì已yǐ至zhì此cǐ，我wǒ们men也yě无wú可kě奈nài何hé。
Things having come to this, there's nothing we can do about it.
这zhè篇piān文wén章zhāng逻luó辑jí严yán密mì，几jī乎hū无wú可kě挑tiāo剔tī。
This essay is tightly reasoned, almost beyond reproach.

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