无缘无故

無緣無故

wúyuán-wúgù

idiom #8,481

Meanings

1 for no reason; without cause
2 out of the blue; unprovoked

Characters

cause; reason; fate

reason; cause; incident

No cause + no reason - a doubled structure emphasizing the complete absence of any reason

Examples

HSK 5

他无缘无故地发了一顿脾气。

Tā wúyuán-wúgù de fā le yī dùn píqi.

He lost his temper for no reason at all.

HSK 7-9

她无缘无故被解雇了。

Tā wúyuán-wúgù bèi jiěgù le.

She was fired for no reason.

HSK 7-9

谁会无缘无故帮助一个陌生人？

Shéi huì wúyuán-wúgù bāngzhù yīgè mòshēngrén?

Who would help a stranger for no reason?

Tips

grammar

无缘无故 follows the ABAC pattern (无X无Y) common in Chinese idioms: 无忧无虑 (carefree), 无声无息 (silent), 无边无际 (boundless). It functions as an adverb, often with 地: 无缘无故地 + verb.

Stroke Order

无 wú

缘 yuán

故 gù