无…可…【wú…kě…】

无…可… says there's no X to do something with. 无 is "have no", 可 is "can", and the noun in the middle is what the verb would act on: 无话可说 is "have no words that could be said". It's written and comes in four-character phrases; the spoken version is 没有 + noun + 可以 + verb.

The frequent ones:

• 无话可说 – have nothing to say
• 无事可做 – have nothing to do
• 无处可去 – have nowhere to go
• 无路可走 – have no way out
• 无家可归 – be homeless

In writing the frame takes other one-syllable nouns and verbs too: 无书可读, 无人可问.

无可 + verb

With nothing in the middle, 无可 + a two-syllable verb means "can't be …": 无可挑剔 "beyond criticism", 无可替代 "irreplaceable". 无可奈何, "can do nothing about it", is a set phrase.

Keep the four-character shape

The pieces are single syllables, and 可 can't be dropped. To use longer words, switch to 没有…可以….

• × 我无事情可以做 → 我无事可做 / 我没有事情可以做
• × 他无话说 → 他无话可说