莫不 (mò bù) — (literary) there is no one who doesn't; everyone does

Definition

Literary double negative meaning 'there is no one who doesn't [verb]' — i.e. 'everyone [verb]'. Used in writing for emphasis, not in speech.

verb
(literary) there is no one who doesn'teveryone does

Examples

  • ，莫不。
    Tā jiǎng de gù shi, zài chǎng de mò bù wéi zhī dòng róng.
    Everyone present was moved by the story he told.
  • ，莫不。
    Tīng wén cǐ yán, zhòng rén mò bù zàn tàn.
    Upon hearing this, everyone praised.
  • 莫不。
    Cǐ shì mò bù lìng yǒu yǐn qíng.
    Perhaps there is a hidden story behind this matter.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 莫 shows a sun sinking into bushes, meaning dusk.

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

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