TongTong
Sign in

无敌 (wú dí) — invincible, unmatched, without equal

Definition

无敌 means 'invincible, unmatched' — used for a person or team that has no rival in ability or record. 无比 is an adjective meaning 'unparalleled' (describing a quality, not a competitor).

verb
invincibleunmatchedwithout equal
Easily confused

Examples

  • 无敌。
    Tā zài zhè ge lǐng yù jī hū wú dí.
    He is almost unmatched in this field.
  • 无敌？
    Nǐ jué de tā wú dí ma?
    Do you think he is invincible?
  • 无敌。
    Zhè shì yì zhī wú dí de duì wu.
    This is an invincible team.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

无wúwithout
敌díenemy

Without and enemy combine to mean having no rival.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

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 敵; 敌 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pūto tap; to hit
Sound part声符shēngfú
啻
啻chì敵dí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 敵 pairs 啻 as a sound part with 攴, a part for tapping or hitting.

Open 敌 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Good & Bad

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.