With Internet users constantly participating in online interactions, a wide range of novel usages have emerged, some of which involve multi-word expressions. The use of multi-word expressions in online discourses (e.g. their syntagmatic patterns and communicative functions) has not been fully explored. Therefore, this study sets out to investigate the Chinese word string bù shuō le ‘not talk anymore’, which occurs much more frequently in online discussion boards than in other written or spoken modes. In the corpus-based analysis, multiple contexts in which bù shuō le indicates a reluctance to further elaborate are identified. The most common context is that the writer recounts a face-threatening experience and uses bù shuō le to bring the post to the conclusion, express a casual attitude toward that experience, and exert a humorous effect. This study contributes additional evidence that demonstrates how multi-word expressions fulfill textual, expressive, and interpersonal functions in online discourses.

随着互联网用户不断参与在线互动，出现了广泛的新用法，其中一些涉及多词表达。在线话语中多词表达的使用（例如它们的组合模式和交际功能）尚未得到充分探索。因此，本研究着手调查中文字符串bù shuō le '不再说话'，它在在线讨论板中的出现频率比在其他书面或口头模式中出现的频率高得多。在基于语料库的分析中，确定了多个上下文，其中bù shuō le表示不愿进一步阐述。最常见的语境是作者讲述了一次威胁面子的经历并使用了bù shuō le将帖子带到结论中，表达对该经历的随意态度，并发挥幽默效果。这项研究提供了额外的证据，证明了多词表达如何在在线话语中实现文本、表达和人际交往功能。