无可奉告

• Pinyin: wú kě fèng gào
• Hanzi breakdown: 无可 = negation + possibility (nothing possible to); 奉 = 手 + 收 (hands raised in offering — to respectfully offer/present); 告 = 牛 + 口 (an ox's mouth, a solemn declaration — to announce/inform)

Meaning

No comment; nothing to disclose; having nothing to offer in response. A formal refusal to provide information, typically used by officials, spokespersons, or public figures when declining to answer questions from the press or public.

A set phrase rooted in official and diplomatic language. 奉告 is a polite literary form meaning 'to respectfully inform'. The full phrase thus means 'there is nothing I can respectfully inform you of'. Frequently appears in press conferences, court proceedings, and corporate communications. Implies that disclosure is either forbidden, premature, or inappropriate.

Examples

1. 面对媒体的追问，发言人一再表示无可奉告，始终未做任何实质性回应。 Under repeated questioning from the media, the spokesperson kept saying, “No comment,” and never made any substantive response.
2. 就此次内部人事变动，公司高层对外一律声称无可奉告，引发外界诸多猜测。 Regarding these internal personnel changes, the company’s executives consistently claimed “no comment,” sparking a great deal of speculation.
3. 庭审期间，被告对多项关键指控均以无可奉告作答，令检察官颇感被动。 During the trial, the defendant answered “no comment” to multiple key allegations, leaving the prosecutor in a difficult position.

Usage Guide

Context: press, law, government, corporate

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 在调查结果正式公布之前，所有相关部门的负责人均被要求对媒体保持统一口径：此事无可奉告，任何表态须经新闻发言人统一审核后方可发出。(Before the investigation results were officially released, all heads of relevant departments were instructed to maintain a unified position with the media: no comment on this matter, and any statement must first be reviewed and approved by the official spokesperson.)
• 这位高管在股东大会上面对质询，以涉及商业机密为由，对数项核心问题均回答无可奉告，引发了与会股东的强烈不满和当场抗议。(This executive, facing questions at the shareholders' meeting, cited commercial confidentiality and responded with no comment to several core questions, triggering strong dissatisfaction and on-the-spot protests from attending shareholders.)

Don't Say

• 无可奉告 in casual conversation — it is a formal, institutional phrase; for everyday refusal to share information use 不方便透露 or 不想说

Origin & History

无可 (nothing that can be) + 奉告 (respectfully inform) — there is nothing I am in a position to respectfully tell you

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal