字面直译为“没有什么可失去的”,引申为“反正不会更糟,放手一搏也无妨”——强调当前处境已经很差/没有后顾之忧,尝试新事物/冒险不会带来额外损失,因此可以大胆行动。
该短语通常用于鼓励他人或自我说服采取行动(尤其是需要冒险、突破舒适区的情况),突出“风险极低,值得一试”的逻辑。
1、 鼓励他人尝试:
If you apply for that job, you have nothing to lose—worst case, they say no.
(如果你申请那份工作,反正没损失——大不了他们拒绝你。)
Why not ask him for help? You have nothing to lose.
(为什么不找他帮忙?反正也不会怎样。)
2、 自我决定冒险:
After getting laid off, she decided to start her own bakery—she had nothing to lose.
(被裁员后,她决定开自己的 bakery——反正已经没什么可失去的了。)
I’m going to tell her how I feel. I have nothing to lose now.
(我要告诉她我的感受。现在我没什么可顾虑的了。)
3、 回应质疑/辩解:
People said it was a bad idea, but I had nothing to lose, so I tried anyway.
(大家说这主意糟透了,但我反正没损失,所以还是试了。)
反义词:have everything to lose(有很多可失去的,风险极高),常用来对比:
He’s a millionaire—he has everything to lose if the business fails.
(他是百万富翁,如果生意失败,他会损失惨重。)
可简化为 nothing to lose(省略“have”),但需结合语境:
What do I have? Nothing to lose.(我有什么?反正没损失。)
总结:have nothing to lose 是一个积极、推动行动的短语,核心逻辑是“当前处境无后顾之忧,尝试成本为零”,常用于鼓励冒险或自我突破。