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未了 (wèi liǎo) — unfinished; not yet completed; pending; still in suspense

Definition

未了 (wèiliǎo) means 'still unfinished or unresolved,' often used in written/formal Chinese for lingering matters, cases, or emotional concerns that remain unsettled.

verb
unfinishednot yet completedpendingstill in suspense

Examples

  • 未了，。
    Zhè jiàn shì shàng wèi wèi liǎo, bù néng qīng yì xià jié lùn.
    This matter is still unfinished; we cannot easily draw a conclusion.
  • 未了。
    Tā xīn zhōng yǒu yí duàn wèi liǎo de qiān guà.
    He has an unfinished concern in his heart.
  • 未了，。
    Zhè ge àn zi yì zhí wèi liǎo, ràng rén bù ān.
    This case has been pending all along, making people uneasy.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

未wèinot yet
了liǎofinish

未 means not yet and 了 means finished, so together they describe something unfinished.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 未 shows a tree with extra branches spreading above its trunk, like lush, overlapping limbs.

Open 未 →

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

了 was once drawn to show a baby with no arms; some old comments say it showed crossed or tangled legs.

Open 了 →
Appears in
Change & Process

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