一无所有

一無所有

yìwú-suǒyǒu

idiom HSK 7-9 #4,907

Meanings

1 to have nothing
2 to be penniless
3 not to have a thing to one's name

Characters

one; completely

without; nothing

Literally 'completely without anything one has' - to have nothing at all.

Examples

HSK 3

我来这个城市的时候一无所有。

Wǒ lái zhège chéngshì de shíhou yìwú-suǒyǒu.

I had nothing when I came to this city.

HSK 4

他失去了一切，现在一无所有。

Tā shīqù le yíqiè, xiànzài yìwú-suǒyǒu.

He lost everything and now has nothing.

Tips

usage

一无所有 is often used to describe someone who is completely broke or has lost everything. It can be used literally (material possessions) or figuratively (emotional emptiness).

memory

Think: 'one (一) nothing (无) that-which (所) have (有)' - even that one thing you might have? Nothing.

Stroke Order

一 yī

无 wú

所 suǒ

有 yǒu