没 (méi) — (adverb) not; used to negate 有 ('to have') or to negate past/habitual actions
Definition
没 (méi) negates past/habitual actions and negates 有 ('to have') — for the present/future, use 没 or 不 together, but the standard present-tense negation of 有 is 没. Negation of an action in the past/habitual sense.
adverb
notused to negate 有 ('to have') or to negate past/habitual actions
Examples
- 没。Tā méi lái shàng kè.He didn't come to class.
- 没。Wǒ méi qián zuò chū zū chē.I don't have money to take a taxi.
- 没？Nǐ chī méi chī?Have you eaten or not?
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 沒; 没 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠬛
𠬛𠬛沒mò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 沒 pairs 水 (water) with 𠬛 as a sound part; this note is about 沒, not the simplified 没.
Grammar
Appears in
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