While “out of battery” is a universal modern annoyance, the phrase 手机没电了 (shǒujī méi diàn le - my phone is out of battery) carries a much heavier weight in modern China than its equivalent in the West. In many Western countries, a dead phone is an inconvenience; you might miss calls or can't browse social media. In China, it can bring your day to a grinding halt. China has leapfrogged the credit card era and operates as a “cashless society” primarily through two apps: WeChat Pay (微信支付) and Alipay (支付宝). From street food vendors and taxis to high-end malls and utility bills, virtually everything is paid for by scanning a QR code with your phone. Therefore, “手机没电了” can mean:
This has led to a unique cultural adaptation: the ubiquity of 充电宝 (chōngdiàn bǎo - power banks). Shared power bank rental stations are in almost every restaurant, mall, and train station. The anxiety around `没电了` is a real, daily concern, making a charged phone less of a convenience and more of an essential key to daily life.
`没电了` is an extremely common, everyday phrase used in informal and neutral contexts. It's versatile and can be applied to almost anything that uses electricity.
It's almost always used to state a fact, often with a tone of frustration or as a simple explanation.