HSK · Level 1
130 words
Chinese word
未
Pronunciation
Pinyinwèi
Meaning
- adverbnot yet
Example
他未成年，不能喝酒。tā wèi chéng nián bù néng hē jiǔ
He is not yet an adult, so he cannot drink alcohol.
More examples
这个项目尚未完成，还需要两周。zhè ge xiàng mù shàng wèi wán chéng hái xū yào liǎng zhōu
This project is not yet complete and still needs two more weeks.
Core concept
A marker at the edge between present noncompletion and a future state.
Common phrases
尚未完成shàng wèi wán chéng
not yet completed
还未开始hái wèi kāi shǐ
not yet started
未能通过wèi néng tōng guò
not yet able to pass
Similar words
还没hái méi: Commonly says in spoken Chinese that something has not happened or become true yet.
没有méi yǒu: Expresses that an action or event has not taken place.
还未hái wèi: Shows in relatively formal writing that an action or state has not yet occurred or been reached.
Definition in Chinese
表示某事尚未发生或尚未达到某种状态，作副词置于动词或形容词前，常见于书面语和若干固定词组。例：他未成年，不能喝酒。biǎo shì mǒu shì shàng wèi fā shēng huò shàng wèi dá dào móu zhǒng zhuàng tài zuò fù cí zhì yú dòng cí huò xíng róng cí qián cháng jiàn yú shū miàn yǔ hé ruò gān gù dìng cí zǔ lì tā wèi chéng nián bù néng hē jiǔ
Word origin
未 (wèi, "not yet") began as a tree pictograph and was later borrowed as the written form for a word about an unfinished state, linking its old image with its modern sense.
Usage tips
- English often places "not yet" at the end of a clause, but 未 (wèi, "not yet") comes before the verb or adjective, so its position is easy to miss in reading.
Related words
- 未婚wèi hūnunmarriedadjective
- 未成年wèi chéng niánminornoun