verb / prefix HSK 4
Traditional 無
not have · there is no · without · none
Meaning
无 is a classical/literary way to express negation, absence, or lack of something. It's more formal than 没有 and appears frequently in written Chinese, fixed expressions, and compound words where it means 'without' or 'non-'.
Usage
In modern spoken Mandarin, 无 is rarely used alone—people say 没有 instead. However, it appears constantly in compounds (无法, 无聊), formal writing, signs (无烟区), and set phrases. It carries a more literary or elevated register than everyday negation words.
Examples
- 01他无法理解这个问题。.He is unable to understand this problem.
- 02无论你去哪儿，我都支持你。, .No matter where you go, I'll support you.
Common collocations
- 无论no matter (what/how/etc.)
- 无数countless, innumerable
- 无关unrelated, have nothing to do with
- 无疑undoubtedly, without doubt
Antonyms
Origin
无 is an ancient character depicting a person dancing with ornaments, but through phonetic borrowing it came to mean 'not have' in classical Chinese. The traditional form 無 is more complex.