奈
nài
used in expressions that convey frustration and futility, such as 無奈|无奈[wu2 nai4] and 莫可奈何|莫可奈何[mo4 ke3 nai4 he2] (literary)
used for its phonetic value in writing foreign words
Great (大) + divine sign (示) = helpless before what's beyond you
示 relates to ritual display or divine signs; facing something great (大) and sacred with no power to act captures the helpless submission the word conveys. The pairing points to awe-struck resignation before forces beyond you.
他无奈地叹了口气，只好接受这个结果。
tā wú nài de tàn le kǒu qì, zhǐ hǎo jiēshòu zhège jiéguǒ。
he sighed helplessly and had no choice but to accept this result.
面对这种局面，她感到十分无奈，不知道该怎么办。
miànduì zhè zhǒng júmiàn, tā gǎndào shífēn wú nài, bù zhīdào gāi zěnme bàn。
facing this kind of situation, she felt utterly helpless and did not know what to do.
Words with 奈
香奈儿
xiāng nài ér
Chanel (brand name)
利奈唑胺
lì nài zuò àn
Linezolid, a synthetic antibiotic
基奈
jī nài
Kenai (Peninsula, Lake, Mountains), Alaska (Tw)
奈何
nài hé
to do something to sb
奈及利亚
nài jí lì yà
Nigeria (Tw)
奈培
nài péi
neper (unit of ratio, Np)
奈曼
nài màn
Naiman banner or Naiman khoshuu in Tongliao 通遼|通辽[Tong1 liao2], Inner Mongolia
奈曼旗
nài màn qí
Naiman banner or Naiman khoshuu in Tongliao 通遼|通辽[Tong1 liao2], Inner Mongolia
奈洛比
nài luò bǐ
Nairobi, capital of Kenya (Tw)
奈秒
nài miǎo
nanosecond, ns, 10^-9 s (Tw)
奈米
nài mǐ
nano- (prefix meaning "nanoscale")
奈良
nài liáng
Nara, an old capital of Japan