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没准 (méi zhǔn) — to be not sure; to be uncertain (stative verb)

Definition

没准 (méi zhǔn) means 'maybe / not sure' and is used colloquially as a hedge, often before a verb clause. It expresses uncertainty about a future outcome, softer than a firm guess.

verb
to be not sureto be uncertain (stative verb)

Examples

  • ，没准。
    Tā shén me shí hou lái, wǒ méi zhǔn.
    I'm not sure when he'll come.
  • 没准。
    Zhè jiàn shì de jié guǒ hái méi zhǔn.
    The outcome of this matter is still uncertain.
  • 没准。
    Wǒ méi zhǔn míng tiān néng bù néng qù.
    I'm not sure if I can go tomorrow.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

没méinot have
准zhǔncertainty

没 (not have) and 准 (certainty) combine to suggest lacking certainty, hence not sure.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 沒; 没 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠬛
𠬛𠬛沒mò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 沒 pairs 水 (water) with 𠬛 as a sound part; this note is about 沒, not the simplified 没.

Open 没 →

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 準; 准 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
隼
隼sǔn準zhǔn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 準, not 准, pairs 水 (water) with 隼 as a sound part; the evidence describes it as 'water level'.

Open 准 →
Appears in
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