(háo wú) - to have not the slightest, utterly without in Mandarin
háowúTraditional: 毫無
Translation
to have not the slightest, utterly without
Word origin
Formed from 毫 (háo, a fine animal hair and so the tiniest measurable amount) and 无 (wú, to be without), literally without so much as a hair's worth.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 毫 (háo, a fine hair, the smallest amount) + 无 (wú, without)
Stroke order
毫
无
Examples
毫。
He has not the slightest interest in this.
毫。
I am completely powerless.
毫。
This claim makes no sense at all.
毫台。
She went on stage completely unprepared.
毫握。
We have no confidence at all in the outcome.
毫无 (háo wú) is an emphatic way of saying that something is completely absent. Literally it is without a hair's breadth of, and it lands harder than 没有.
It behaves as a verb and takes a noun object directly: 毫无兴趣, 毫无道理, 毫无办法, 毫无关系, 毫无准备, 毫无意义. The object is almost always abstract. You would not say 毫无钱 for having no money; that is 一分钱也没有.
Two traps. First, it is written register: fine in an argument, an essay or a news report, but stiff in casual chat, where 一点也不 or 根本没有 does the job. Second, 毫无 already contains the negation, so do not add 不 or 没 anywhere near it. 他毫无兴趣 is right; 他没有毫无兴趣 is not a sentence.
Where this fits
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Go to my review queueMandarin · Free printables
毫无: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "毫无" (to have not the slightest, utterly without): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 43.