Reading some legalese? these adverbial phrases seem to be the tell-tale signs. 'in no case' would be used to delimit the sentence in that no matter what the circumstance may be the verb would never verb. (In no case is it okay to write in Chinese on your English exam) So no matter what the case may be writing in Chinese is not acceptable. Here 'is' is being modified so to reiterate a case would never exist ('is') that you could write your English exam in Chinese. 'by no means' would be used to describe no matter what way 'verb' whatever you're commenting on would not come to actualisation and is also collocated with 'is'. (Simply speaking is 'by no means' the best way to learn a language) although the case may be ('is') that one can simply try and speak a language it does not mean it is the only/best way to or lead to the best way or 'by no means'. Hope this helps, Raharuhi

In no case. Case is for instances or situations. Means is an action. For example someone might ask ¨do the ends justify the means?¨ meaning ´´is reaching a goal worth the actions one has to do in order to reach it?´´

Thank you so much^_^

Both are negating the main phrase, but by stressing different elements. The first stresses that 'in no situation' would it happen. The second stresses that 'in no way' would it happen. These originally specific meanings have since become more general, however, and to an English speaker they would not contain any serious difference, the same sense of negation would come across.

Hi Sybil, I think that either phrase could be used in that sentence to achieve the same meaning! There is no great difference in semantics between the two options, both convey the same sense of negation. Original delineations in what the specific phrases actually signify have become generalised as the two became more idiomatic in English usage.