无由 (wú yóu) — have no way (to do sth.); without reason; for no reason

Definition

无由 (mó) is a literary/classical verb meaning 'to have no way (to do sth.)' or 'without reason.' It appears mostly in formal or written Chinese, and pairs with verbs like 解释, 得知, 发生 to express inability or lack of cause.

verb
have no way (to do sth.)without reasonfor no reason

Examples

  • 无由。
    Tā wú yóu jiě shì zì jǐ de xíng wéi.
    He had no way to explain his own behavior.
  • 无由，。
    Zhè jiàn shì wú yóu fā shēng, ràng rén kùn huò.
    This matter happened for no reason, leaving people confused.
  • 无由，。
    Tā wú yóu dé zhī zhēn xiàng, zhǐ néng cāi cè.
    She had no way to learn the truth and could only guess.

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
由yóureason

无 means without, and 由 is a reason or path, so it means no way or reason.

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 →

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

It began as a drawing of new shoots or leaves growing upward from a plant-like base.

Open 由 →

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