有形 (yǒu xíng) — tangible; visible; having a physical form

Definition

Used as a set pair with 无形 ('tangible vs. intangible'), most often in formal or academic contexts like philosophy, finance, and law — not everyday speech.

adjective

tangiblevisiblehaving a physical form

Examples

有形。
Gōng sī yōng yǒu dà liàng de yǒu xíng zī chǎn.
The company owns a large amount of tangible assets.
，有形。
Zài zhé xué zhōng, yǒu xíng shì jiè hé wú xíng shì jiè shì xiāng duì de.
In philosophy, the tangible world and the intangible world are relative.
有形，。
Zhè zhǒng yì shù bù jǐn biǎo xiàn yǒu xíng de měi, yě chuán dá wú xíng de jīng shén.
This kind of art not only expresses tangible beauty but also conveys intangible spirit.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

有yǒuhave

形xíngform

有 means have, and 形 means form, giving something with a visible physical form.

Characters in this word

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

肉肉ròumeat

Sound part声符shēngfú

又

又yòu有yǒu

Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

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

彡彡shān

Sound part声符shēngfú

井

井jǐng形xíng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

形 is made from 彡 and 井, with 井 providing the sound.

Open 形 →

Appears in

Abstract Concepts