未 (wèi): not yet, did not, have not
未 (wèi) is a Chinese character meaning “not yet.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 一 (structural) and 木 (structural). It ranks #385 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 未 a wheat plant that has not yet borne fruit; compare 來. Its radical form 木 (tree) appears in many related characters such as 本 (běn, (bound form) root), 机 (jī, machine, opportunity), 条 (tiáo, strip).
Definitions
- not yet
- did not
- have not
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA wheat plant that has not yet borne fruit; compare 來
Decomposition: ⿻一木 (layout: overlay)
Stroke Order
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Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 未
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 未来adjective/noun | wèi lái | future | 5 |
| 从未adverb | cóng wèi | never | 6 |
| 未成年人noun | wèi chéng nián rén | minor (i.e. person under 18) | 6 |
| 未必adverb | wèi bì | not necessarily | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 未婚妻 | wèi hūn qī | fiancée |
| 未婚夫 | wèi hūn fū | fiancé |
| 未知 | wèi zhī | unknown |
| 未经 | wèi jīng | not having undergone |
| 尚未 | shàng wèi | not yet |
| 未成年 | wèi chéng nián | underage |
| 前所未有 | qián suǒ wèi yǒu | (idiom) unprecedented |
| 未遂 | wèi suì | to fail to accomplish |
| 未婚 | wèi hūn | unmarried |
| 未曾 | wèi céng | hasn't (or haven't) |
| 未能 | wèi néng | cannot |
| 未免 | wèi miǎn | unavoidably |
| 未了 | wèi liǎo | unfinished |
| 乳臭未干 | rǔ xiù wèi gān | lit. smell of breast milk not yet dried (idiom) |
| 前所未见 | qián suǒ wèi jiàn | unprecedented |
未 appears in 100 compound words: 63 as the first character, 8 as the last, and 29 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 未 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (36)
old but still got it; as vigorous and active as before; just as skilled as when one was young
flourishing and still in the ascendant (idiom); rapidly expanding; still growing strong; on the up
flourishing and still in the ascendant (idiom); rapidly expanding; still growing strong; on the up
to prevent a disaster before the event (idiom); to nip sth in the bud
to take preventative measures before a disaster occurs; to prevent trouble before it happens
never before in the whole of history (idiom); unprecedented; also written 曠古未有|旷古未有
old but still got it; as vigorous and active as before; just as skilled as when one was young
flourishing and still in the ascendant (idiom); rapidly expanding; still growing strong; on the up
flourishing and still in the ascendant (idiom); rapidly expanding; still growing strong; on the up
to prevent a disaster before the event (idiom); to nip sth in the bud
never before in the whole of history (idiom); unprecedented; also written 曠古未有|旷古未有
Showing 12 of 36 idioms containing 未.
Example Sentences
未来的路还很长，我们要继续努力。
Wèilái de lù hái hěn cháng, wǒmen yào jìxù nǔlì.
The road ahead is still long; we must continue to work hard.
(米兰冬奥会)冰雪“意”犹未尽:米兰冬奥会上中国军团的“名场面”
( mǐ lán dōng ào huì ) bīng xuě yì yóu wèi jǐn : mǐ lán dōng ào huì shàng zhōng guó jūn tuán de míng chǎng miàn
(Milan Winter Olympics) Ice and snow "meaning" is not finished: the "famous scene" of the Chinese legion at the Milan Winter Olympics
沙巴附近海域7.1级地震 暂未有伤亡报告
shā bā fù jìn hǎi yù 7 . 1 jí dì zhèn zàn wèi yǒu shāng wáng bào gào
No casualties have been reported in the waters near Sabah due to a magnitude 7.1 earthquake
未必是坏事!南马降级成精英标 马拉松将回归...
wèi bì shì huài shì ! nán mǎ jiàng jí chéng jīng yīng biāo mǎ lā sōng jiāng huí guī . . .
It's not necessarily a bad thing! South Malaysia is downgraded to an elite standard, and the marathon will return...
...线运营商再惠谋求新加坡和香港双重上市:尚未盈..
. . . xiàn yùn yíng shāng zài huì móu qiú xīn jiā pō hé xiāng gǎng shuāng chóng shǎng shì shàng wèi yíng . .
... Line operator Re-Wai seeks dual listing in Singapore and Hong Kong: no surplus yet...
海港亚冠一场未胜出局 中超三强“包揽”东亚区后三位..
hǎi gǎng yà guàn yī chǎng wèi shèng chū jú zhōng chāo sān qiáng bāo lǎn dōng yà ōu hòu sān wèi . .
Harbor AFC Champions League without a win out of the Super League three "bagged" the East Asian region after three ...
未满年龄饮酒是罪行。
Wèi mǎn niánlíng yǐnjiǔ shì zuìxíng.
Underage drinking is a crime.
你不能未经允许就看别人的私人信件。
Nǐ bù néng wèijīng yǔnxǔ jiù kàn biéren de sīrén xìnjiàn.
You shouldn't read other people's private letters without permission.
这些资料未必可靠。
Zhèxiē zīliào wèibì kěkào.
It is questionable whether this data can be relied on.
这项工作未必容易。
Zhè xiàng gōngzuò wèibì róngyì.
This work is not necessarily easy.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 未 (wèi)?
Is 未 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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