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不复存在 (bú fù cún zài) — no longer exist; to exist no more

Definition

A formal, written phrase meaning 'no longer exist' — used for things (hopes, places, traditions) that have disappeared. Stronger and more literary than the everyday 没有了.

verb
no longer existto exist no more

Examples

  • 不复存在。
    Tā de xī wàng yǐ jīng bú fù cún zài le.
    His hope no longer exists.
  • ，不复存在。
    Suí zhe shí jiān tuī yí, nà zuò gǔ chéng zǎo yǐ bú fù cún zài.
    With the passage of time, that ancient city has long ceased to exist.
  • 不复存在。
    Zhè zhǒng chuán tǒng yí shì zài xiàn dài shè huì yǐ jīng bú fù cún zài.
    This traditional ceremony no longer exists in modern society.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 復; 复 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 复 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (复习, 恢复) it is 復; in others (复印, 复杂) (答复, 反复) it is 複 or 覆.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
彳彳chìwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
复
复fù復fù
Same sound today

The traditional form 復 combines 彳, a walking part, with 复, a sound part, to show walking back and forth.

Open 复 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
子子zǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
才
才cái存cún
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

存 pairs 子 with 才, which was used for the sound.

Open 存 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

The early form of 在 used 才 for its sound; a second sound part 士 was added later, and that 士 became the 土 seen in 在.

Open 在 →
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