About
The character "奈" originated as a form representing a ritual or sacrificial context, with its structure in the traditional seal script analysis combining the element for "big" (大) over the element for "altar" or "to show" (示), implying an act of great display or offering to spiritual forces. This inherent sense of dealing with momentous or divine matters gradually shifted toward conveying a meaning of something that must be endured or accepted, leading to its primary function as a grammatical particle expressing a sense of "how can it be helped?" or "what is to be done?". Over time, its usage became fixed in classical and modern Chinese to form words expressing helpless resignation, such as "无奈" (having no alternative), where it serves to articulate inevitable circumstances or unchangeable facts, moving far from its original concrete ritual associations while retaining a core idea of confronting forces beyond one's control.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
他感到非常无奈。
你奈何不了我。
我无奈地摇摇头。
奈良是日本的城市。
面对这种情况，他感到无奈。
无论你怎么说，我都无奈接受。
奈何事情已经发生，无法改变。
即便有再多的无奈，生活也要继续。