不无 (bù wú) — not without; there is some; not lacking in (used before abstract nouns)

Definition

A formal written phrase meaning 'not without / there is some' — used before abstract nouns (道理, 好处) to soften a positive claim, suggesting that the quality in question exists at least to some degree. Always negative in form but positive in meaning.

verb
not withoutthere is somenot lacking in (used before abstract nouns)

Examples

  • 不无，。
    Tā de huà bù wú dào lǐ, zhí dé wǒ men rèn zhēn sī kǎo.
    His words are not without reason; they deserve our careful thought.
  • 不无，。
    Zhè cì shī bài bù wú hǎo chù, zhì shǎo ràng wǒ men kàn qīng le wèn tí suǒ zài.
    This failure is not without its benefits — at least it showed us where the problem lies.
  • 不无。
    Jīng jì fā zhǎn yǔ huán jìng bǎo hù zhī jiān bù wú lián xì.
    There is not without a connection between economic development and environmental protection.

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.

不bùnot
无wúwithout

不 (not) and 无 (without) combine to mean there is some, not lacking.

Characters in this word

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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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.

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