毋庸 (wú yōng) — (adverb, formal) there is no need to; need not

Definition

Formal/literary 'there is no need to' adverb, used almost only in set phrases like 毋庸置疑 and 毋庸讳言. Tone is far more written than 不必 or 不用.

adverb
(adverb, formal) there is no need toneed not
Easily confused

Examples

  • 毋庸。
    Tā de néng lì wú yōng zhì yí.
    His ability is beyond doubt.
  • 毋庸，。
    wú yōng Huì yán, wǒ men hái yǒu hěn cháng de lù yào zǒu.
    To be frank, we still have a long way to go.
  • 毋庸。
    Zhè xiē dào lǐ wú yōng duō shuō.
    There is no need to elaborate on these principles.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

毋wúno
庸yōngneed

The negative sense of 毋 and the idea of need in 庸 together mean 'no need to'.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 毋 →

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
庚庚gēng
Sound part声符shēngfú
同
同tóng庸yōng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

庸 is built from 庚 and 同, with 同 giving the sound. It probably originally meant a large bell.

Open 庸 →

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