不灵 (bù líng) — (of a machine, device, or method) not working; ineffective; (of a body part or reflex) not functioning properly; unresponsive

Definition

Adjective meaning 'not working' — used for machines, methods, and (often of older people) body reflexes or coordination. Unlike a simple broken, it implies something that should function but performs poorly or unreliably.

adjective
(of a machine, device, or method) not workingineffective(of a body part or reflex) not functioning properlyunresponsive

Examples

  • 不灵。
    Wǒ de diàn nǎo zuì jìn lǎo shì bù líng.
    My computer keeps not working lately.
  • ，不灵。
    Tā nián jì dà le, shǒu jiǎo yǐ jīng bù líng le.
    He's old, and his hands and feet are no longer nimble.
  • 不灵，。
    Zhè ge fāng fǎ shì le hǎo jǐ cì dōu bù líng, hái shì huàn yí gè ba.
    This method has been tried many times and doesn't work, let's switch to another one.

Origin

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.

Open 不 →

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 靈; 灵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
霝
霝líng靈líng
Same sound today

This note describes the traditional form 靈, not the simplified 灵: 霝 gives the sound, and 玉 (jade) is the meaning part.

Open 灵 →

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