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无奈(wúnài) — meaning, uses and examples

1. verb to be helpless; to have no way out

   面对这种局面，他也无奈。

   Miànduì zhè zhǒng júmiàn, tā yě wúnài.

   Faced with such a situation, even he was helpless.

2. adjective helpless and resigned

   她无奈地叹了口气，接受了现实。

   Tā wúnài de tàn le kǒu qì, jiēshòu le xiànshí.

   She sighed helplessly and accepted the reality.

3. correlative conjunction but unfortunately; only that (formal, in the second clause)

   我本想去看你，无奈临时有事。

   Wǒ běn xiǎng qù kàn nǐ, wúnài línshí yǒu shì.

   I had meant to come and see you, but unfortunately something came up.