没完没了
- Literal
- not finished, not ended
- Figurative
- Endless and never-ending; something that drags on and on, often to the point of being tiresome or annoying.
Where does 没完没了 come from?
It does not come from a particular story or a classical text; it is a set colloquial phrase built from two parallel halves that repeat the negation 没 ("there is no") before 完 ("finish") and 了 (read liǎo here, "conclude"). The doubling stresses the idea that something never reaches its end. It is very common in everyday speech and in the press today, almost always with a note of irritation.
How is 没完没了 used? Two examples
- 楼上的装修声没完没了，吵得我睡不着觉。
The renovation noise from upstairs is never-ending; the racket keeps me from falling asleep.
- 他一打开话匣子就没完没了，谁也插不上话。
Once he gets talking he goes on and on, and nobody can get a word in.
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