<p>The most appropriate translation to <code>make sense</code> would probably be <code>有道理</code>, which literally means <code>has sense or reason</code>.  For example:</p>
<pre><code>你说的有道理
What you said is reasonable / What you said makes sense.
</code></pre>
<p>The phrase <code>说不通</code> would probably work, but it is not used frequently in Mainland China Mandarin (普通话) as <code>有道理</code> for the same context, if at all.</p>
<p>As for <code>符合逻辑</code>, the phrase means the same thing as <code>有道理</code>, but it is more verbose and academic.  It is like saying:</p>
<pre><code>That is well reasoned. 
---as opposed to---
That makes sense.
</code></pre>
<p>As you can see the latter is what people use in daily conversations, while the former make you sound like some College Professor. ;-)</p>
<p><code>[It doesn't make any sense]</code> would translate to <code>这没有道理</code>。  Though in the context of your example, I think it sounds more natural in the Chinese context to say <code>It is ridiculous (这太荒唐了）</code> in response to the situation. Cultural differences in the way we think I suppose.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-07T20:57:47.987Z
"make sense" in English has two meanings.  One is something that is not silly/illogical; the other is meaningful/having meaning, e.g., "Colorless green ideas sleep furiously" "Huh?  That makes no sense."
伟思礼
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-03-19T17:53:54.527Z
有道理 = "make sense" is a perfect translation (and it happens to be literal!). But when it comes to "doesn't make sense"- for example, does “我的一个北京朋友居然在大学上中文入门！【这根本没道理！】” sound right to you? Also, are you from northern China? I'm a native speaker from the south and "说不通" isn't archaic or rare here at all.
gonnastop
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-03-19T18:11:39.653Z
@gonnastop I updated my answer to your question.  Yes the translation sounds natural enough as to not be weird.  Though I think it is more natural to react to a ridiculous situation in the Chinese context with an affirmative, even though in English either way works fine.  And yes I am a native speaker from the North, so "说不通" is not a commonly used phrase for me.
Bojin Li
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-09T09:28:55.480Z
quite common phrases 「不是吧」「不可能吧」「搞笑吧你」
Mike Manilone
CC BY-SA 4.0
2012-03-19T17:36:04.767Z
2020-09-13T13:02:29.233Z
2020-09-13T13:02:29.233Z
Bojin Li
<p>英译汉时，一个很重要的问题，就是英汉词汇适用的范围常常是不同的。make sense 和 doesn't make sense这两个英文词（组）在英文中的适用范围是很宽泛的，但翻译成中文时，就得根据上下文及语境仔细斟酌了。</p>

<p>When translating from English to Chinese, a very important problem is that the usage range of English and Chinese vocabulary is often not the same. The usage range of the two English phrases <code>make sense</code> and <code>doesn't make sense</code> in English is very wide-ranging, but when translating into Chinese, one has to carefully consider what's written above and below, and the context.</p>

<p>One of my friends from Beijing is taking Chinese 101! [It doesn't make any sense!]</p>

<p>可以译成 (can be translated as)：我一个北京来的朋友居然在上中文入门课！[真是胡闹！][真荒唐！][真有病！]</p>

<p>Note: If anyone has a better suggestion on how to differentiate <code>上下文</code> and <code>语境</code>, please suggest. I'll be happy to hear from you.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-06T22:30:36.277Z
2017-08-24T01:08:35.897Z
2017-08-24T01:08:35.897Z
孤影萍踪
<p>In Taiwan, I frequently hear all three of
<br>
沒有道理
<br>
說不通
<br>
沒有意思</p>
<p>Personally, I usually use 沒有意思. I think this is one of those situations where the literally meaning doesn't quite capture the sentiment (which is, indeed, &quot;doesn't make sense&quot;) while the literal meaning misses the point.</p>
<p>Edit: If I were reacting to an absurd statement (&quot;That doesn't make sense&quot;) I would probably say 怎麼意思？ However, if I were describing a situation, then I would probably lean towards 說不通. I think it's true that it probably differs by region though.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2012-04-07T19:01:00.570Z
2020-09-13T13:01:09.613Z
2020-09-13T13:01:09.613Z
monkbent
<p>The best translation depends on the specific language context because 'make sense' has broader meaning than its Chinese counterparts: 有道理，说得通，靠谱……</p>

<p>For this particular example in your question:</p>

<p>One of my friends from Beijing is taking Chinese 101! [It doesn't make any sense!]</p>

<p>我一个北京的朋友居然在上中文入门这门课！[<strong><em>开什么玩笑啊！</em></strong>]</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-14T19:23:20.337Z
2016-01-14T19:23:20.337Z
Patrick
<pre><code>我一个北京的朋友居然在上中文入门这门课！
One of my friends from Beijing is taking Chinese 101! [It doesn't make any sense!]
</code></pre>

<p>If <code>It doesn't make any sense!</code> means that you think he's crazy, then you could say <code>有病!</code>.</p>

<p>If <code>It doesn't make any sense!</code> means that you are puzzled by his intentions, then you could say <code>真耐人尋味</code>.</p>

<p>If <code>It doesn't make any sense!</code> literally means that you cannot understand why he's doing it, then you could say <code>真的叫我無法了解</code>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-12T17:36:39.543Z
2016-01-12T17:36:39.543Z
Henry Chan
<blockquote>
<p>One of my friends from Beijing is taking Chinese 101! [It doesn't make any sense!]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>[It doesn't make any sense!]</p>
<p>这根本不可能。/这是不可能的事。</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-04-10T01:48:30.863Z
可能 is more like possible. Your answer provided translates more to: 'This can't be possible. / This (thing) is not possible.'
going
CC BY-SA 4.0
2012-03-30T13:55:14.557Z
2020-09-13T13:00:38.947Z
2020-09-13T13:00:38.947Z
Jane
<p>I am trying to explain the phrase "make sense" to my cousin, who is learning English. The dictionary suggests "有意义", but I believe that "有意义" is "meaningful" and that "make sense" should be "讲得通", "说得通", or "符合逻辑".</p>

<p>Consider the following situation:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>我一个北京的朋友居然在上中文入门这门课！</p>
  
  <p>One of my friends from Beijing is taking Chinese 101! [It doesn't make
  any sense!]</p>
</blockquote>

<p>How do I translate the part in brackets? “这根本说不通？” Or maybe "居然" alone suffices?</p>

<p><a href="http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/637385">Here is another example on Tatoeba.org.</a> Is "你说的没有意义" "what you said is insignificant"? Since "有意义" is used pretty often in Chinese, I am wondering whether there <em>is</em> an English equivalent.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T02:31:19.653Z
+1 有意义 is a common understanding。But 有意义 doesn't mean meaningful only, it depends on context.
Daniel Yang
<translation><word-requests>
What is the equivalent of "make sense" in Chinese?
# What is the equivalent of "make sense" in Chinese?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-03-19)

I am trying to explain the phrase "make sense" to my cousin, who is learning English. The dictionary suggests "有意义", but I believe that "有意义" is "meaningful" and that "make sense" should be "讲得通", "说得通", or "符合逻辑".

Consider the following situation:

> 我一个北京的朋友居然在上中文入门这门课！
>
> One of my friends from Beijing is taking Chinese 101! [It doesn't make
> any sense!]

How do I translate the part in brackets? “这根本说不通？” Or maybe "居然" alone suffices?

[Here is another example on Tatoeba.org.](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/637385) Is "你说的没有意义" "what you said is insignificant"? Since "有意义" is used pretty often in Chinese, I am wondering whether there *is* an English equivalent.

**Tags:** translation, word-requests

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: +1 有意义 is a common understanding。But 有意义 doesn't mean meaningful only, it depends on context.  

---

## 6 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2012-03-19. Score: 16

The most appropriate translation to `make sense` would probably be `有道理`, which literally means `has sense or reason`. For example:

```
你说的有道理
What you said is reasonable / What you said makes sense.

```

The phrase `说不通` would probably work, but it is not used frequently in Mainland China Mandarin (普通话) as `有道理` for the same context, if at all.

As for `符合逻辑`, the phrase means the same thing as `有道理`, but it is more verbose and academic. It is like saying:

```
That is well reasoned. 
---as opposed to---
That makes sense.

```

As you can see the latter is what people use in daily conversations, while the former make you sound like some College Professor. ;-)

`[It doesn't make any sense]` would translate to `这没有道理`。 Though in the context of your example, I think it sounds more natural in the Chinese context to say `It is ridiculous (这太荒唐了）` in response to the situation. Cultural differences in the way we think I suppose.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: 有道理 = "make sense" is a perfect translation (and it happens to be literal!). But when it comes to "doesn't make sense"- for example, does “我的一个北京朋友居然在大学上中文入门！【这根本没道理！】” sound right to you? Also, are you from northern China? I'm a native speaker from the south and "说不通" isn't archaic or rare here at all.  
> **username_2**: @username_0 I updated my answer to your question.  Yes the translation sounds natural enough as to not be weird.  Though I think it is more natural to react to a ridiculous situation in the Chinese context with an affirmative, even though in English either way works fine.  And yes I am a native speaker from the North, so "说不通" is not a commonly used phrase for me.  
> **username_4**: quite common phrases 「不是吧」「不可能吧」「搞笑吧你」  
> **username_3**: "make sense" in English has two meanings.  One is something that is not silly/illogical; the other is meaningful/having meaning, e.g., "Colorless green ideas sleep furiously" "Huh?  That makes no sense."  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2013-03-06. Score: 5

英译汉时，一个很重要的问题，就是英汉词汇适用的范围常常是不同的。make sense 和 doesn't make sense这两个英文词（组）在英文中的适用范围是很宽泛的，但翻译成中文时，就得根据上下文及语境仔细斟酌了。

When translating from English to Chinese, a very important problem is that the usage range of English and Chinese vocabulary is often not the same. The usage range of the two English phrases `make sense` and `doesn't make sense` in English is very wide-ranging, but when translating into Chinese, one has to carefully consider what's written above and below, and the context.

One of my friends from Beijing is taking Chinese 101! [It doesn't make any sense!]

可以译成 (can be translated as)：我一个北京来的朋友居然在上中文入门课！[真是胡闹！][真荒唐！][真有病！]

Note: If anyone has a better suggestion on how to differentiate `上下文` and `语境`, please suggest. I'll be happy to hear from you.


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2012-04-07. Score: 4

In Taiwan, I frequently hear all three of
  
沒有道理
  
說不通
  
沒有意思

Personally, I usually use 沒有意思. I think this is one of those situations where the literally meaning doesn't quite capture the sentiment (which is, indeed, "doesn't make sense") while the literal meaning misses the point.

Edit: If I were reacting to an absurd statement ("That doesn't make sense") I would probably say 怎麼意思？ However, if I were describing a situation, then I would probably lean towards 說不通. I think it's true that it probably differs by region though.


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2016-01-14. Score: 1

The best translation depends on the specific language context because 'make sense' has broader meaning than its Chinese counterparts: 有道理，说得通，靠谱……

For this particular example in your question:

One of my friends from Beijing is taking Chinese 101! [It doesn't make any sense!]

我一个北京的朋友居然在上中文入门这门课！[***开什么玩笑啊！***]


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2016-01-12. Score: 1

```
我一个北京的朋友居然在上中文入门这门课！
One of my friends from Beijing is taking Chinese 101! [It doesn't make any sense!]

```

If `It doesn't make any sense!` means that you think he's crazy, then you could say `有病!`.

If `It doesn't make any sense!` means that you are puzzled by his intentions, then you could say `真耐人尋味`.

If `It doesn't make any sense!` literally means that you cannot understand why he's doing it, then you could say `真的叫我無法了解`.


---

### Answer by username_9 on 2012-03-30. Score: -2

> One of my friends from Beijing is taking Chinese 101! [It doesn't make any sense!]

[It doesn't make any sense!]

这根本不可能。/这是不可能的事。

> **Comments:**
> **username_10**: 可能 is more like possible. Your answer provided translates more to: 'This can't be possible. / This (thing) is not possible.'  

---

