毋 (wú) — (literary) do not; must not; (literary) no; not

Definition

毋 is a formal, literary adverb meaning 'do not' or 'must not'. It appears mainly in fixed expressions and written Chinese (e.g. 毋庸置疑 'beyond doubt', 宁缺毋滥 'rather go without than have something shoddy'). Unlike the everyday 不 or 别, 毋 carries a classical, authoritative tone and is rarely used in casual speech.

adv.

(literary) do notmust not(literary) nonot

Examples

。
Zhè jiàn shì wú yōng zhì yí.
This matter is beyond doubt.
毋。
Zhāopìn yào níng quē wú làn.
When hiring, better to have a vacancy than to lower standards.
毋，。
wú wàng chūxīn, fāng dé shǐzhōng.
Never forget your original intention, and you will achieve your goal.

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