Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ====== méi diàn le: 没电了 - Out of Battery, No Power ====== ===== Quick Summary ===== * **Keywords:** mei dian le, 没电了, Chinese for out of battery, my phone is dead in Chinese, no power in Chinese, no electricity, power outage, charging phone Chinese, learn Chinese for beginners, HSK vocabulary. * **Summary:** Learn how to say "out of battery" or "no power" in Chinese with the essential phrase 没电了 (méi diàn le). This comprehensive guide covers everything from your phone dying to a household power outage. Discover the huge cultural importance of a charged phone in China's mobile-payment society, and master the phrase's usage with 10 practical examples and clear analysis to help you speak like a native. ===== Core Meaning ===== * **Pinyin (with tone marks):** méi diàn le * **Part of Speech:** Verb Phrase * **HSK Level:** HSK 2 * **Concise Definition:** A device, place, or system has run out of electricity or battery power. * **In a Nutshell:** "没电了" is the universal Chinese expression for when something electronic stops working because its power source is gone. It perfectly captures the moment of change—it //had// power, but //now// it's dead. Think of it as the direct equivalent of saying "It's out of battery," "The power is out," or "It died." ===== Character Breakdown ===== * **没 (méi):** The primary meaning is "not have" or "to be without." It negates the existence of something. * **电 (diàn):** This character means "electricity" or "power." It's a key component in words like `电脑` (diànnǎo, computer) and `电话` (diànhuà, telephone). * **了 (le):** A crucial grammatical particle that, in this context, indicates a //change of state//. It shows that a new situation has occurred. * **How they combine:** Literally, "没 (not have) + 电 (electricity) + 了 (change of state particle)." This creates the meaning "(It) didn't have no electricity before, but now it does." In simple English: "It has run out of power." ===== Cultural Context and Significance ===== While "out of battery" is a universal modern annoyance, the phrase **手机没电了 (shǒujī méi diàn le - my phone is out of battery)** carries a much heavier weight in modern China than its equivalent in the West. In many Western countries, a dead phone is an inconvenience; you might miss calls or can't browse social media. In China, it can bring your day to a grinding halt. China has leapfrogged the credit card era and operates as a "cashless society" primarily through two apps: WeChat Pay (微信支付) and Alipay (支付宝). From street food vendors and taxis to high-end malls and utility bills, virtually everything is paid for by scanning a QR code with your phone. Therefore, "手机没电了" can mean: * You can't pay for your lunch. * You can't get on the subway or bus. * You can't unlock a shared bike. * You can't show your health code to enter a building. * You can't contact anyone. This has led to a unique cultural adaptation: the ubiquity of **充电宝 (chōngdiàn bǎo - power banks)**. Shared power bank rental stations are in almost every restaurant, mall, and train station. The anxiety around `没电了` is a real, daily concern, making a charged phone less of a convenience and more of an essential key to daily life. ===== Practical Usage in Modern China ===== `没电了` is an extremely common, everyday phrase used in informal and neutral contexts. It's versatile and can be applied to almost anything that uses electricity. * **Personal Electronics:** This is the most frequent usage. It's used for phones, laptops, tablets, headphones, e-scooters, etc. * **Household Appliances:** You can use it for a remote control, a child's toy, or an electric shaver when the batteries die. * **Power Outages:** It can describe a power outage in a building or an entire area. In this case, it means "the power went out." It's almost always used to state a fact, often with a tone of frustration or as a simple explanation. ===== Example Sentences ===== * **Example 1:** * 糟糕！我的手机**没电了**！ * Pinyin: Zāogāo! Wǒ de shǒujī **méi diàn le**! * English: Oh no! My phone is out of battery! * Analysis: A classic, common expression of mild panic or frustration. `糟糕` (zāogāo) means "darn it" or "how terrible." * **Example 2:** * 你能借我一下充电宝吗？我的笔记本电脑快**没电了**。 * Pinyin: Nǐ néng jiè wǒ yīxià chōngdiàn bǎo ma? Wǒ de bǐjìběn diànnǎo kuài **méi diàn le**. * English: Can I borrow your power bank for a second? My laptop is about to run out of battery. * Analysis: The word `快` (kuài - almost, soon) is often placed before `没电了` to indicate that the power is //about to// run out. * **Example 3:** * 为什么灯不亮？是不是**没电了**？ * Pinyin: Wèishéme dēng bù liàng? Shì bùshì **méi diàn le**? * English: Why isn't the light on? Is the power out? * Analysis: This shows how the phrase can be used for a general power outage, not just a battery-powered device. `是不是` (shì bùshì) is a common way to form a yes/no question. * **Example 4:** * 这个遥控器用不了了，应该是**没电了**。 * Pinyin: Zhège yáokòngqì yòng bùliǎo le, yīnggāi shì **méi diàn le**. * English: This remote control doesn't work anymore, it must be out of batteries. * Analysis: `应该` (yīnggāi) means "should" or, in this context, "must be" or "probably." It shows you're making a logical deduction. * **Example 5:** * 我昨天晚上忘了充电，所以今天早上手机就**没电了**。 * Pinyin: Wǒ zuótiān wǎnshàng wàngle chōngdiàn, suǒyǐ jīntiān zǎoshang shǒujī jiù **méi diàn le**. * English: I forgot to charge my phone last night, so it was dead this morning. * Analysis: A great example of using the phrase to explain a past event and its consequence. `所以` (suǒyǐ) means "so" or "therefore." * **Example 6:** * 儿子，你的玩具车如果**没电了**，就告诉爸爸。 * Pinyin: Érzi, nǐ de wánjù chē rúguǒ **méi diàn le**, jiù gàosù bàba. * English: Son, if your toy car runs out of battery, just tell Dad. * Analysis: Demonstrates using `如果...就...` (rúguǒ... jiù...), the "if... then..." sentence structure, with `没电了`. * **Example 7:** * 我们整栋楼都**没电了**，可能是停电了。 * Pinyin: Wǒmen zhěng dòng lóu dōu **méi diàn le**, kěnéng shì tíngdiànle. * English: Our entire building has no power, it might be a blackout. * Analysis: Here, `没电了` is used for a large area. It's often used interchangeably with `停电了` (tíngdiànle), but `没电了` is slightly more descriptive of the state, while `停电了` focuses on the action of the power being cut. * **Example 8:** * 对不起，我刚才**没电了**，自动关机了。 * Pinyin: Duìbùqǐ, wǒ gāngcái **méi diàn le**, zìdòng guānjī le. * English: Sorry, my phone just ran out of battery and turned off automatically. * Analysis: When a person says "我没电了" (wǒ méi diàn le), they are personifying their phone. It's a very common and natural shortcut for "我的手机没电了" (wǒ de shǒujī méi diàn le). * **Example 9:** * 我的电动牙刷**没电了**，我得先充电。 * Pinyin: Wǒ de diàndòng yáshuā **méi diàn le**, wǒ děi xiān chōngdiàn. * English: My electric toothbrush is out of battery, I have to charge it first. * Analysis: Shows the versatility of the phrase for any modern gadget. `得` (děi) means "must" or "have to." * **Example 10:** * A: 你怎么不回我微信？ (Nǐ zěnme bù huí wǒ Wēixìn?) - Why didn't you reply to my WeChat? * B: 不好意思啊，手机**没电了**，刚充上。 (Bù hǎoyìsi a, shǒujī **méi diàn le**, gāng chōng shàng.) - So sorry, my phone was dead. I just put it on the charger. * Analysis: A very typical conversational exchange. `没电了` serves as a perfect and universally accepted excuse. ===== Nuances and Common Mistakes ===== * **`没电了` (méi diàn le) vs. `没电` (méi diàn):** The particle `了` (le) is critical. `没电了` signifies a //change of state//: "it //ran out// of power." Simply saying `我的手机没电` (wǒ de shǒujī méi diàn) is grammatically awkward and incomplete. You are describing the new state, so the change must be indicated with `了`. * **Correct:** 手机**没电了**。(The phone ran out of battery.) * **Incorrect:** 手机没电。 * **Using `没` (méi) not `不` (bù):** This is a fundamental rule. To negate the existence of something or a completed action, you must use `没` (méi). `不` (bù) is used to negate present/future actions, adjectives, or states of being. Since "having electricity" is a state of existence, you must use `没`. * **Correct:** 没电了 (méi diàn le) * **Incorrect:** ~~不电了~~ (bù diàn le) - This is completely wrong and makes no sense in Chinese. ===== Related Terms and Concepts ===== * **[[充电]] (chōngdiàn):** To charge (a battery). This is the solution to `没电了`. * **[[充电宝]] (chōngdiàn bǎo):** Power bank/portable charger. The essential accessory for modern life in China. * **[[停电]] (tíngdiàn):** Blackout, power outage. A more formal or technical term for when the electrical grid goes down, as opposed to a single device's battery dying. * **[[电池]] (diànchí):** Battery. The physical object that holds the power. * **[[没信号]] (méi xìnhào):** No (cell service) signal. The other common phone-related problem that causes panic. * **[[关机]] (guānjī):** To turn off (a device). `没电了` often leads to a device `自动关机` (zìdòng guānjī - automatically turning off). * **[[省电]] (shěng diàn):** To save power. What you do to avoid your phone getting to the state of `没电了`. For example, using "low power mode" (省电模式 - shěng diàn móshì).