悬而未决 (xuán ér wèi jué) — unresolved; pending; still up in the air

Definition

Idiom meaning a question, plan, or case is left hanging without a final answer — unresolved and waiting on a decision.

idiom

unresolvedpendingstill up in the air

悬而未决。
Zhè ge wèn tí yǐ jīng xuán ér wèi jué hǎo duō nián le.
This issue has been unresolved for many years.
悬而未决。
Guān yú gǎi gé de fāng àn zhì jīn réng rán xuán ér wèi jué.
The plan regarding reform remains unresolved to this day.
悬而未决。
Zhè ge xuán ér wèi jué de àn zi ràng suǒ yǒu rén dōu hěn dān xīn.
This unresolved case worries everyone.

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 懸; 悬 is its simplified writing.

縣心懸

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

縣

縣xiàn懸xuán

Same sound today

The traditional form 懸 adds 心, “heart,” to the older form 縣, which gave the sound. The simplified 悬 is a later abbreviation.

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

The shape of 而 is a picture of a beard.

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

The shape 未 shows a tree with extra branches spreading above its trunk, like lush, overlapping limbs.

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 決; 决 is its simplified writing.

氵夬決

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐ

Sound part声符shēngfú

夬

夬guài決jué

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 決 has 氵 (water) and 夬, which gives the sound. This describes 決, not the simplified 决.

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