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无用 (wú yòng) — useless

Definition

A formal/written 'useless' — stronger and more absolute than 没用的 (informal) and 有用的 ('useful'). Common in set phrases like 无用功, 无用之人, and in critical or dismissive writing.

adjective
useless

Examples

  • 无用，。
    Zhè xiē jiù dōng xī yǐ jīng wú yòng le, rēng le ba.
    These old things are already useless; throw them away.
  • 无用。
    Tā jué de zì jǐ shì gè wú yòng de rén.
    He feels he is a useless person.
  • 无用。
    Bú yào zài zuò wú yòng de nǔ lì le.
    Don't make useless efforts anymore.

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
用yònguse

无 means without and 用 means use, so the parts express lacking use.

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.

用 was formed by adding a handle to an earlier form.

Open 用 →
Appears in
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