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无害 (wú hài) — (verb-object) to be harmless; to cause no harm; (in written Chinese) incomparable; without equal

Definition

无害 (wúhài) is a verb-object word: 'harmless' (literally 'without harm'). In modern Chinese it is overwhelmingly used as a predicate meaning 'to cause no harm'. The literary sense 'incomparable / without equal' is rare.

verb
(verb-object) to be harmlessto cause no harm(in written Chinese) incomparablewithout equal

Examples

  • 无害。
    Zhè zhǒng xīn yào duì rén tǐ wán quán wú hài.
    This new drug is completely harmless to the human body.
  • 。
    Zhè zhǒng huà xué wù zhì bìng fēi wú dà hài.
    This chemical substance is not without great harm.
  • 无害。
    Tā de cái huá zài dāng shì wú hài.
    His talent is incomparable in the current age.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

无wúwithout
害hàiharm

The 无 (without) and 害 (harm) together mean causing no harm.

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.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丯
丯jiè害hài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

害 was borrowed purely for its sound. Its old picture, possibly a house rafter, is unrelated to harm.

Open 害 →
Appears in
Safety & Danger

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