Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 沒價值 / 没价值 | méijiàzhí |
| 不值錢 / 不值钱 | bùzhíqián |
| 無用 / 无用 | wúyòng |
To say something is not having worth and use, you can use different expressions depending on the context. 毫无用处 means completely useless or totally worthless. 一文不值 means worthless or not worth a penny. In informal settings, you might call someone or something a 废物, which translates to waste or trash and describes something or someone as worthless, useless or incompetent.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 不值錢 / 不值钱 is composed of 不 (not), 值 (to be worth) and 錢 (money).
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on what kind of worth you are describing. 沒價值 / 没价值 is used for abstract value or importance, while 不值錢 / 不值钱 is used specifically for things that have low monetary value or to describe cheap, common or inexpensive items. 無用 / 无用 focuses on the lack of utility or usefulness, whereas 沒價值 / 没价值 focuses on the lack of inherent worth.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, which is common in Hong Kong and southern regions of China, the phrase 冇用 means useless or worthless. You may also hear the term 垃圾 used in Cantonese to mean garbage, which can be used informally to describe something as worthless or of no value.
How do you pronounce it?
méijiàzhí
Did you know?
- In some contexts, the word 無用 is used in a paradoxical way to describe the 'usefulness of the useless', a Taoist philosophy where things that seem worthless are actually the most valuable.
- The idiom 一文不值 (not worth a penny) uses the word 文, which was a specific unit of currency in ancient China. While it translates to 'one penny' today, it originally referred to a much smaller, specific denomination.
- The character 值 in 不值錢 can also be used as a verb meaning 'to be on duty' or 'to stand guard', which has no connection to monetary value.
Examples in context
- 这个项目是一钱不值的。This project is not worth a penny.
- 工作对他来说毫无用处。The job is completely useless to him.
- 我不想再和那个废物交朋友了。I don't want to be friends with that worthless person anymore.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “worthless” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
