尚无 (shàng wú) — not yet (formal, literary)

Definition

尚 (shàng) means 'still' in a formal, written sense, so 尚无 is the literary way to say 'not yet' (something hasn't happened or been established). Use it in writing or reports rather than everyday speech.

verb
not yet (formal, literary)

Examples

  • 尚无。
    Shì gù yuán yīn shàng wú chá míng.
    The cause of the accident has not yet been determined.
  • 尚无。
    Mù qián shuāng fāng shàng wú dá chéng xié yì.
    The two sides have not yet reached an agreement.
  • 尚无。
    Zhè xiàng xīn jì shù shàng wú tóu rù shì chǎng.
    This new technology has not yet been introduced to the market.

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.

尚shàngstill
无wúnot have

尚 contributes still, 无 contributes not have, together meaning not yet.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
八八bā
Sound part声符shēngfú
向
向xiàng尚shàng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

尚 pairs 八 with 向: 八 carries the meaning, and 向 gives the sound.

Open 尚 →

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.

Open 无 →

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