没有用(méi yǒu yòng) - useless in Mandarin

没有用 (méi yǒu yòng) means useless, the straightforward negation of 有用 (yǒu yòng, "useful"), built from 没有 (méi yǒu, "to not have") plus 用 (yòng, "use"). Literally it says something "has no use".

It applies both to objects (an old tool, a broken part) and to actions or efforts: 说没有用 (shuō méi yǒu yòng, "talking is useless") is a very common way to dismiss empty words in favour of action. This abstract sense, describing an action rather than a thing, is where English speakers often reach for a different phrase like "it's pointless" instead, but Mandarin keeps the same 没有用 (méi yǒu yòng).

A shorter, more colloquial variant drops 有 (yǒu) entirely: 没用 (méi yòng), which means exactly the same thing and is at least as common in speech.