无能

• Pinyin: wú néng
• Hanzi breakdown: 无 = negation (without); 能 = 厶 + 月 + 匕 + 匕 (a powerful animal — capability, ability, talent)

Meaning

Incompetent; incapable; lacking the ability or skill required to perform a task, fulfil a responsibility, or exercise a role effectively. Often used as a direct and damning assessment of a person or institution.

A strong negative evaluation, implying a fundamental deficit of competence rather than a specific mistake. Common collocations: 无能的领导 (incompetent leadership), 显示无能 (demonstrate incompetence), 无能为力 (powerless — when combined with 为力). Distinct from 失误 (error) in that 无能 targets overall capacity, not isolated performance. Frequently appears in political commentary, corporate analysis, and social criticism.

Examples

1. 这届领导班子的无能有目共睹，企业业绩在三年内连续下滑，终于引发了股东的联合施压。 The incompetence of this leadership team is plain for all to see: the company’s performance has declined year after year for three straight years, finally triggering coordinated pressure from shareholders.
2. 批评者指出，面对这场本可预防的危机，相关部门的应对不力充分暴露了其深层的无能。 Critics pointed out that in the face of a crisis that could have been prevented, the weak response from the relevant departments fully exposed their deeper incompetence.
3. 在专业要求极高的岗位上，无能不仅影响个人前途，更可能危及团队乃至整个组织的整体利益。 In positions with extremely high professional demands, incompetence not only affects an individual’s future but can also endanger the interests of the team and even the entire organization.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, business, management, social criticism

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 这场财务丑闻源于管理层无能和失职，他们忽视审计警示，最终造成重大损失。(This financial scandal came from management's incompetence and neglect of duty; they ignored audit warnings and ultimately caused major losses.)
• 公众对这些政府部门的强烈愤慨，与其说是针对腐败本身，不如说是对其在面对复杂公共问题时所暴露出的深层无能的强烈反应。(The public's intense indignation towards these government departments is, if anything, less a reaction to corruption itself than a powerful response to the profound incompetence they have exposed in addressing complex public problems.)

Don't Say

• 无能 for a one-time mistake or specific skills gap — use 失误 or 能力不足; 无能 condemns overall competence and is a serious charge that should not be applied to isolated errors or normal learning curves

Origin & History

无 (without) + 能 (ability/capability) — without the required capability

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal