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无拘无束 (wú jū wú shù) — (set phrase) free and unrestrained; unconstrained

Definition

A vivid chengyu (AABB pattern) meaning 'free and unrestrained' in manner, lifestyle, or spirit — often used approvingly to describe an easygoing personality or unbounded behavior.

idiom
(set phrase) free and unrestrainedunconstrained

Examples

  • 无拘无束，。
    Tā xǐ huan wú jū wú shù de shēng huó, bù xiǎng bèi gōng zuò shù fù.
    He likes an unrestrained life and doesn't want to be tied down by work.
  • ，无拘无束。
    Zài zhè piàn guǎng kuò de cǎo yuán shàng, mǎ r men wú jū wú shù dì bēn pǎo.
    On this vast grassland, the horses gallop freely without restraint.
  • ，无拘无束，。
    Tā xìng gé kāi lǎng, shuō huà zuò shì dōu wú jū wú shù, ràng rén gǎn dào qīng sōng.
    She has an outgoing personality, speaks and acts freely, making people feel at ease.

Origin

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
句
句jù拘jū
Same sound today

The left part of 拘 is 扌, the hand form written in full as 手; the right part 句 gives the sound jù.

Open 拘 →

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 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The shape of 束 comes from a drawing of a bag tied at both ends.

Open 束 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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