无 (wú) - without & not have

无Tone 2

wú ｜ 4 strokes ｜ radical: 无

万响

无 · wú

without;

not have;

nothing;

none;

not;

-less;

regardless of;

in vain;

used in Buddhist terms for emptiness/non-existence.

withoutnot havenothing

Usage highlights

nothinglimitlesshelplessunconditionalunableunexpected

Synonyms

  • 没— not have; there is not
  • 空— empty; void
  • 虚— empty; void; false

Antonyms

  • 有— have; there is
  • 存— exist; preserve
  • 实— real; solid; true

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I have no money (没有钱).
  • There is no problem (没问题).
  • He is unable to come (无法来).
  • This is an unconditional guarantee (无条件保证).

Collocations

  • nothing(无物)
  • limitless(无限)
  • helpless(无奈)
  • unconditional(无条件)
  • unable(无法)
  • unexpected(无意)

Idioms

  • Boundless as the sky and ocean(无边无际)
  • From nothing comes something(无中生有)
  • Unparalleled in the world(举世无双)
  • Having no one to rely on(无依无靠)
  • Unprecedented and unrepeatable(空前绝后)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Taoism, 'wu' (non-being) is a fundamental concept representing the formless origin of all things.
  • In Buddhism, 'wu' relates to emptiness (śūnyatā) and the absence of inherent existence.
  • The character appears in many philosophical texts discussing the nature of existence and non-existence.

FAQ