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无处 (wú chù) — nowhere (to do something); there is no place (for something)

Definition

无处 (wúchù) means 'nowhere' or 'there is no place (to…)', used as a verb/adverb in set phrases like 无处可去 ('nowhere to go') or 无处可逃 ('nowhere to escape').

verb
nowhere (to do something)there is no place (for something)

Examples

  • 无处，。
    Tā wú chù kě qù, zhǐ hǎo zài gōng yuán lǐ zuò le yí yè.
    He had nowhere to go, so he sat in the park all night.
  • ，无处。
    Zài zhè ge chéng shì lǐ, wǒ wú chù kě táo.
    In this city, I have nowhere to escape.
  • 无处。
    Tā de xīn qíng wú chù sù shuō.
    His feelings had nowhere to be expressed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

无wúnot have
处chùplace

无 'not have' plus 处 'place' means there is no place.

Characters in this word

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 →

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 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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