冇

冇 U+5187, 冇 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5187 ← 円 [U+5186] CJK Unified Ideographs 冈 → [U+5188]

Translingual

Han character

冇 (Kangxi radical 13, 冂+2, 4 strokes, cangjie input 大月 (KB) or 難大月 (XKB), four-corner 4022₇, composition ⿸𠂇冂)

Derived characters

• 𪢹, 𱥲, 𭁤, 𭁬, 𠕆, 𠕇

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: not present, would follow page 128, character 35
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 96, character 17
• Unihan data for U+5187

Chinese

Glyph origin

From the removal of the two inner strokes from 有 (“to have”).

Attested at least since 1672, in 《星餘筆記》 by 王鉞:

寧俗樸鄙所陳牒訴多用土俗書，初見駭愕，習閒亦各有義意，令略記數字：……冇，音茂，謂無有也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

宁俗朴鄙所陈牒诉多用土俗书，初见骇愕，习闲亦各有义意，令略记数字：……冇，音茂，谓无有也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: 清・王鉞《星餘筆記》

Níng sú pǔbǐ suǒ chén diésù duō yòng tǔsú shū, chūjiàn hài'è, xíxián yì gè yǒu yìyì, lìng lüèjì shùzì:...... 冇, yīn mào, wèi wúyǒu yě. [Pinyin]

When filing pleas, peasants in the Ning county (西寧縣, modern 鬱南縣) often use the local popular writing, it is peculiar when first seen, but when accustomed, each has its meaning, for example: [...] 冇, sounds like 茂, means "to not have".

Etymology 1

trad.		冇
simp. #		冇
alternative forms		無／无 冒 Xiang

From 無 (MC mju, “to not have”). In some varieties, such as Cantonese and Xiang, there seems to be fusion or analogy with 有 (MC hjuwX, “to have”) (Chan, 1998; Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): mǎo, mǒu (mao³, mou³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄠˇ, ㄇㄡˇ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): mou⁵

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): mau¹

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): mò

  (Meixian, Guangdong): mo²

• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): bao³
• Southern Pinghua (Nanning, Jyutping++): me⁵
• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶mau
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): mau⁵ / mau⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: mǎo
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄠˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: mǎo
    • Wade–Giles: mao³
    • Yale: mǎu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mao
    • Palladius: мао (mao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɑʊ̯²¹⁴/
      
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: mǒu
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄡˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: mǒu
    • Wade–Giles: mou³
    • Yale: mǒu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: moou
    • Palladius: моу (mou)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /moʊ̯²¹⁴/

Note:

• mǎo - conjected from Cantonese;
• mǒu - directly from Cantonese.

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: mou⁵
    • Yale: móuh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: mou⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: mou⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mou̯¹³/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: mau¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ᵐbau³³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mò
    • Hakka Romanization System: mo^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: mo²
    • Sinological IPA: /mo¹¹/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: mo²
    • Sinological IPA: /mo¹¹/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: bao³
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: bâu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pau⁴⁵³/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: bao³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pau³³²/
• Southern Pinghua
  • (Nanning Pinghua, Tingzi)
    • Jyutping++: me⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /me²⁴/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶mau
    • MiniDict: mau^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³mau
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /mɔ²³/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: mau⁵ / mau⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɒu̯²¹/, /mɒu̯²⁴/

Note:

• mau5 - “have not; did not”;
• mau6 - “to not have” (contraction of 冇得).

Definitions

冇

1. (dialectal Mandarin, Cantonese, dialectal Gan, Hakka, dialectal Wu, Xiang) to not have; to not exist
   • (Can we date this quote?), “紅茶館”, performed by 陳慧嫻:

     你冇女朋友？梗係唔信啦！……或者有。你唔知啫。 [Cantonese, trad.]
     你冇女朋友？梗系唔信啦！……或者有。你唔知啫。 [Cantonese, simp.]

     nei⁵ mou⁵ neoi⁵ pang⁴ jau⁵? gang² hai⁶ m⁴ seon³ laa¹!...... waak⁶ ze² jau⁵. nei⁵ m⁴ zi¹ ze¹. [Jyutping]

     You don't have a girlfriend? Of course I don't believe you! ... Maybe you do have one, but you just don't know it.

   冇理由㗎。 [Cantonese]  ―  mou⁵ lei⁵ jau⁴ gaa³. [Jyutping]  ―  Impossible.

2. (dialectal Mandarin, Cantonese, Xiang) have not; did not (do something) (indicating non-completion of a verb)

   我冇同佢講。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   我冇同佢讲。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   ngo⁵ mou⁵ tung⁴ keoi⁵ gong². [Jyutping]

   I did not tell him.

   佢幾個月都冇嚟。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   佢几个月都冇嚟。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   keoi⁵ gei² go³ jyut⁶ dou¹ mou⁵ lai⁴. [Jyutping]

   He hasn't come for a few months.

3. (dialectal Cantonese, Nanning Pinghua) not (negator)

   冇手尾 [Nanning Pinghua]  ―  me⁵ sau² mi⁵ [Jyutping++]  ―  irresponsible

Usage notes

• Originally from Cantonese, many Mandarin speakers now understand the meaning of this character.

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 沒有 (“to not have (+ noun)”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		無, 無有
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		沒有
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	沒有, 沒
	Taiwan	沒有, 沒
	Malaysia	沒有, 沒
	Singapore	沒有, 沒
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	沒有, 沒
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	沒有
Central Plains Mandarin	Xi'an	沒有, 沒
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	沒得, 莫得, 没有
	Wuhan	冇得
	Guiyang	沒得, 不得
	Guilin	沒得
	Liuzhou	沒得
	Dagudi (Maliba)	不有
	Reshuitang (Longling)	不有
	Mae Salong (Lancang)	不有
	Mae Sai (Tengchong)	不有
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	沒得
	Yangzhou	不得, 沒得
	Hefei	沒
Cantonese	Guangzhou	冇, 冇有
	Hong Kong	冇
	Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou)	冇
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	冇
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	冇
	Taishan	冇
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	冇有
	Hepu (Shatian)	冇有
	Beihai	冇, 冇有
	Beihai (Nankang)	冇
	Beihai (Yingpan)	冇有
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	冇, 冇有
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	冇, 冇有
	Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	冇, 冇有
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	冇
	Penang (Guangfu)	冇
	Singapore (Guangfu)	冇
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	冇
	Móng Cái	冇, 冇有
Gan	Nanchang	冒有, 冇
Hakka	Meixian	無
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	無
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	無
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	無
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	無
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	無
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	無
	Hong Kong	冇
	Singapore (Dabu)	無
Huizhou	Jixi	沒
Jin	Taiyuan	沒, 沒啦
Northern Min	Jian'ou	無
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	無
	Singapore (Fuqing)	無
	Sitiawan (Gutian)	無
Southern Min	Xiamen	無
	Quanzhou	無
	Zhangzhou	無
	Zhao'an	無
	Taipei	無
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	無
	Kaohsiung	無
	Yilan	無
	Changhua (Lukang)	無
	Taichung	無
	Tainan	無
	Hsinchu	無
	Kinmen	無
	Penghu (Magong)	無
	Penang (Hokkien)	無
	Singapore (Hokkien)	無
	Manila (Hokkien)	無
	Chaozhou	無
	Shantou	無
	Shantou (Chaoyang)	無
	Jieyang	無
	Haifeng	無
	Bangkok (Teochew)	無
	Singapore (Teochew)	無
	Batam (Teochew)	無
	Pontianak (Teochew)	無
	Wenchang	無
	Qionghai	無
	Singapore (Hainanese)	無
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	無
Wu	Shanghai	嘸沒, 嘸 dated
	Suzhou	嘸不
	Danyang	無則, 沒得
	Hangzhou	沒有
	Hangzhou (Yuhang)	嘸不
	Shaoxing	唔有
	Ningbo	嘸沒, 嘸 dated
	Wenzhou	冇
	Jinhua	嘸, 嘸沒
Xiang	Changsha	冇得, 冇
	Shuangfeng	冇得

Dialectal synonyms of 不 (“not”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		不, 弗, 毋, 勿, 莫, 否, 未
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		不
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	不
	Taiwan	不
	Langfang	不
	Chengde	不
	Chifeng	不
	Hulunbuir (Hailar)	不
	Heihe	不
	Nenjiang	不
	Mohe	不
	Qiqihar	不
	Tailai	不
	Jiyan	不
	Lanxi	不
	Boli	不
	Jiayin	不
	Muling	不
	Dongning	不
	Ning'an	不
	Linkou	不
	Zhaozhou	不
	Zhaodong	不
	Mishan	不
	Harbin	不
	Shangzhi	不
	Jiamusi	不
	Tongjiang	不
	Baicheng	不
	Changchun	不
	Tonghua	不
	Shenyang	不
	Jinzhou	不
	Jingzhou (Shashi)	不
	Malaysia	不
	Singapore	不
	Olginsky (Mikhaylovka)	不
Jilu Mandarin	Tianjin	不
	Tangshan	不
	Cangzhou	不
	Baoding	不
	Dingxing	不
	Shijiazhuang	不
	Lijin	不
	Wudi	不
	Weifang (Weicheng)	不
	Jinan	不
	Jinan (Zhangqiu)	不
	Dezhou	不
	Tai'an	不
	Xintai	不
	Zichuan	不
	Boshan	不
	Yinan	不
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Dalian	不
	Dandong	不
	Yantai	不
	Yantai (Muping)	不
	Laizhou	不
	Weihai	不
	Rongcheng	不
	Qingdao	不
	Zhucheng	不
	Yishui	不
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	不
	Lingbao	不
	Ningyang	不
	Daming	不
	Yuncheng	不
	Wanrong	不
	Linfen	不
	Hongtong	不
	Shangqiu	不
	Yuanyang	不
	Zhengzhou	不
	Xinyang	不
	Shangluo	不
	Luonan	不
	Danfeng	不
	Shangnan	不
	Shanyang	不
	Zhen'an	不
	Ankang	不
	Baihe	不
	Pingli	不
	Xunyang	不
	Lueyang	不
	Mianxian	不
	Yangxian	不
	Xi'an	不
	Xi'an (Baqiao)	不
	Xi'an (Yanliang)	不
	Xi'an (Lintong)	不
	Xi'an (Chang'an)	不
	Xi'an (Huyi)	不
	Xi'an (Gaoling)	不
	Zhouzhi	不
	Lantian	不
	Xianyang	不
	Xingping	不
	Wugong	不
	Qianxian	不
	Liquan	不
	Jingyang	不
	Sanyuan	不
	Yongshou	不
	Changwu	不
	Tongchuan (Wangyi)	不
	Tongchuan (Yaozhou)	不
	Yijun	不
	Weinan	不
	Weinan (Huazhou)	不
	Hancheng	不
	Huayin	不
	Tongguan	不
	Dali	不
	Heyang	不
	Chengcheng	不
	Baishui	不
	Pucheng	不
	Fuping	不
	Huanglong	不
	Yichuan	不
	Huangling	不
	Luochuan	不
	Fuxian	不
	Dingbian	不
	Baoji	不
Baoji (Chencang)	不
Fengchang	不
Qishan	不
Fufeng	不
Meixian	不
Taibai	不
Fengxian	不
Qianyang	不
Longxian	不
Linyou	不
Tianshui	不
Xining	不
Xuzhou	不
Pizhou	不
Suqian	不
Lianyungang (Ganyu)	不
Donghai	不
Fuyang	不
Bengbu	不
Suzhou, Anhui	不
Huaibei	不
Guangde (Qiuzhuang)	不
Qimen (Anling; Junhua)	不
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	不
	Lanzhou	不
	Jiuquan	不
	Dunhuang	不
	Shandan	不
	Hami	不
	Ürümqi	不
	Jimsar	不
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	不
	Chengdu (Xindu)	不
	Chengdu (Xinfan, Xindu)	不
	Chengdu (Huayang, Shuangliu)	不
	Chengdu (Pidu)	不
	Chengdu (Wenjiang)	不
	Chengdu (Shuangliu)	不
	Chengdu (Xinjin)	不
	Jintang	不
	Pengzhou	不
	Dujiangyan	不
	Chongzhou	不
	Dayi	不
	Pujiang	不
	Qionglai	不
	Jianyang	不
	Xiaojin	不
	Jinchuan	不
	Songpan	不
	Maoxian	不
	Lixian	不
	Wenchuan	不
	Deyang	不
	Deyang (Luojiang)	不
	Mianzhu	不
	Shifang	不
	Guanghan	不
	Zhongjiang	不
	Ziyang	不
	Anyue	沒有
	Lezhi	不
	Mianyang	不
	Mianyang (Anzhou)	不
	Zitong	不
	Jiangyou	不
	Jiangyou (Zhangming)	沒
	Pingwu	不
	Beichuan	不
	Yanting	不
	Santai	不
	Guangyuan	不
	Guangyuan (Zhaohua)	不
	Cangxi	不
	Jiange	不
	Meishan	沒
	Pengshan	不
	Danling	不
	Hongya	不
	Qingshen	不
	Renshou	不
	Luzhou (Naxi)	不
	Luxian	不
	Xuyong	沒有
	Gulin	不
	Hejiang	不
	Yibin	不
	Yibin (Nanxi)	不
	Pingshan	不
	Gaoxian	不
	Changning	不
	Gongxian	不
	Xingwen (Gusong)	不
	Xingwen (Bowangshan)	不
	Jiang'an	不
Junlian	不
Leshan	不
Jiajiang	不
Emeishan	不
Ebian	不
Qianwei	不
Mabian	不
Jingyan	不
Neijiang	沒有
Zizhong	不
Weiyuan	不
Longchang	不
Suining	不
Pengxi	不
Shehong	不
Guang'an	不
Yuechi	不
Wusheng	不
Linshui	不
Nanchong	不
Nanbu	不
Langzhong	不
Yilong	不
Yingshan	不
Peng'an	不
Dazhou	不
Dazhu	不
Kaijiang	不
Wanyuan	不
Xuanhan	沒
Bazhong	不
Tongjiang	不
Nanjiang	不
Hanyuan	不
Xichang	不
Zigong	不
Fushun	不
Rongxian	不
Leibo	不
Chongqing	不
Chongqing (Nanchuan)	不
Chongqing (Dazu)	不
Chongqing (Rongchang)	不
Chongqing (Yongchuan)	不
Chongqing (Bishan)	沒
Chongqing (Tongliang)	沒有
Chongqing (Tongnan)	不
Chongqing (Hechuan)	不
Chongqing (Changshou)	不
Chongqing (Fuling)	不
Chongqing (Jiangjin)	不
Chongqing (Wanzhou)	不
Chongqing (Shizhu)	不
Chongqing (Kaizhou)	不
Chongqing (Chengkou)	不
Chongqing (Dianjiang)	不
Chongqing (Liangping)	不
Chongqing (Fengdu)	不
Chongqing (Zhongxian)	不
Chongqing (Qianjiang)	不
Chongqing (Pengshui)	不
Chongqing (Youyang)	不
Chongqing (Xiushan)	不
Chongqing (Yunyang)	不
Chongqing (Wuxi)	不
Chongqing (Fengjie)	不
Chongqing (Wushan)	不
Wuhan	冇
Wuhan (Jiangxia)	冇
Wuhan (Caidian)	冇
Wuhan (Xinzhou)	冇
Wuhan (Huangpi)	冇
Hanchuan	冇
Suizhou	不
Suixian	不
Yichang	不
Dangyang	不
Zhijiang	不
Yidu	不
Changyang	不, 沒
Xingshan	不
Zigui	不
Wufeng	不
Enshi	不
Hefeng	不
Badong	不
Xuan'en	沒
Laifeng	不
Lichuan	沒
Jianshi	不
Xianfeng	不
Xiangyang	不
Laohekou	不
Baokang	不
Nanzhang	不
Zaoyang	不
Yicheng	不
Gucheng	不
Jingzhou	不
Jiangling	不
Shishou	不
Gong'an	不
Songzi	沒有
Jingmen	不
Zhongchang	不
Jingshan	不
Tianmen	不
Xiantao	不
Qianjiang	不
Shennongjia	不
Shiyan	不
Zhuxi	冒
Zhushan	不
Yunxi	沒
Yunyang	不
Danjiangkou	不
Fangxian	不
Lhasa	不
Guiyang	不
Zunyi	不
Bijie	不
Zhaotong	不
Baoshan, Yunnan	不
Dali	不
Kunming	不
Qujing	不
Wenshan	不
Mengzi	不
Pu'er	不
Lincang	不
Guilin	不
Liuzhou	沒, 不
Jishou	沒
Changde	不
Zhangjiajie	不
Yongzhou	不
Huitong	不
Xiangtan (Jiangnan Industries Group koine)	不
Ganzhou	不
Shiquan	不
Ziyang	不
Ningshan	不
Langao	不
Zhenping	不
Hanzhong	不
Hanzhong (Nanzheng)	不
Ningqiang	不
Liuba	不
Chenggu	不
Foping	不
Xixiang	不
Zhenba	不
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	不
	Nanjing (Pukou)	不
	Nanjing (Luhe)	不
	Nanjing (Lishui)	不
	Yangzhou	不
	Yangzhou (Jiangdu)	不
	Baoying	不
	Gaoyou	不
	Yizheng	不
	Taizhou	不
	Taixing	不
	Taizhou (Jiangyan)	不
	Jingjiang (Dongxing)	不
	Zhenjiang	不
	Jurong	不
	Yangzhong	不
	Lianyungang	不
	Lianyungang (Haizhou)	不
	Guanyun	不
	Guannan	不
	Huai'an	不
	Huai'an (Huai'an District)	不
	Huai'an (Huaiyin)	不
	Huai'an (Hongze)	不
	Lianshui	不
	Xuyi	不
	Jinhu	不
	Xinghua	不
	Nantong	不
	Rugao	不
	Rudong	不
	Hai'an	不
	Yancheng	不
	Dongtai	不
	Binhai	不
	Sheyang	不
	Yancheng (Dafeng)	不
	Funing	不
	Jianhu	不
	Xiangshui	不
	Shuyang	不
	Sihong	不
	Siyang	不
	Anqing	不
	Tongcheng	不
	Zongyang	不
	Chizhou	不
	Qingyang	不
	Wuhu	不
	Wuhu (Wanzhi)	不
	Wuhu (Jinghu)	不
	Wuhu (Fanchang)	不
	Wuwei	不
	Hanshan	不
	Hexian	不
	Ma'anshan	不
	Dangtu	不
	Xuancheng	不
	Langxi	不
	Hefei	不
	Feidong	不
	Feixi	不
	Chaohu	不
	Lujiang	不
Changfeng	不
Huainan	不
Lu'an	不
Lu'an (Qingshuihe, Jin'an)	不
Shucheng	不
Huoshan	不
Chuzhou	不
Lai'an	不
Quanjiao	不
Mingguang	不
Tianchang	不
Ezhou (Echeng)	不
Huangshi	不
Huanggang	不
Hong'an	不
Macheng	不
Luotian	不
Yingshan	不
Xishui	不
Huangmei	不
Wuxue	不
Qichun	不
Xiaogan	不
Anlu	不
Yingcheng	不
Yunmeng	不
Dawu	不
Guangshui	不
Zhashui	不
Jiujiang	不
Ruichang	不
Mandarin	Ningguo (Gangkou)	不
Cantonese	Guangzhou	唔
	Hong Kong	唔
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou)	唔
	Macau	唔
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	唔
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	唔
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	唔
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	唔
	Foshan	唔
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	唔
	Foshan (Shunde)	唔
	Foshan (Sanshui)	唔
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	唔
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	唔
	Zhongshan (Chongkoumen, Nanlang; Tanka)	唔
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	唔
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	唔
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	唔
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	唔
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	唔
	Taishan	唔
	Kaiping (Chikan)	唔
	Enping (Niujiang)	唔
	Heshan (Yayao)	唔
	Dongguan	唔
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	唔
	Qingyuan	唔
	Fogang	唔
	Yingde (Hanguang)	唔
	Yangshan	唔
	Lianshan (Butian)	冇
	Lianshan (Yonghe)	唔
	Lianzhou (Qingshui; Sihui)	冇
	Shaoguan	唔
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	唔
	Renhua	唔
	Lechang	唔
	Yunfu	唔
	Yangjiang	冇
	Yangjiang (Yangdong)	冇
	Yangdong (Yashao)	冇
	Yangxi	冇
	Xinyi	冇
	Maoming (Xinpo)	冇
	Maoming (Yangjiao)	冇
	Gaozhou	冇
	Zhanjiang	冇
	Lianjiang	冇
	Wuchuan (Wuyang)	冇
	Nanning	冇
	Wuzhou	冇
	Cangwu (Liubao)	冇
	Yulin	冇
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	冇
	Hepu (Shatian)	冇
	Guiping (Madong)	冇
	Beihai	冇
	Beihai (Nankang)	冇
	Beihai (Yingpan)	冇
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	冇
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	冇
	Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	冇
	Chongzuo (Laituan)	冇
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	唔
Singapore (Guangfu)	唔
Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	唔
Móng Cái	冇
Gan	Nanchang	不
	Nanchang (Wangcheng)	冒
	Anyi	不
	Hukou	不
	Lushan	不
	Yongxiu	不
	Xiushui	不
	Pengze	不
	Duchang	不
	Wuning (Quankou)	不
	Poyang	不
	Yugan	不
	Wannian	冒
	Yiyang, Jiangxi	不
	Hengfeng	莫
	Leping	不
	Yichun	冇
	Yifeng	不
	Gao'an	唔
	Fengxin	不
	Shanggao	唔
	Wanzai	唔
	Fengcheng	不
	Xinyu	不
	Fuzhou	不
	Fuzhou (Dongxiang)	不, 唔
	Nancheng	不
	Nanfeng	不
	Yihuang	不
	Lichuan	不
	Chongren	冒
	Pingxiang	冒
	Lianhua	不, 唔
	Ji'an	不
	Jishui (Luotian)	不
	Yongfeng	不
	Taihe	唔
	Xiajiang	冒
	Yongxin	唔
	Yingtan (Yujiang)	不
	Guixi	沒
	Susong	不
	Susong (Heta)	不
	Wangjiang	不
	Qianshan	不
	Huaining	不
	Dongzhi	不
	Shitai	不
	Yangxin	不
	Daye	不
	Xianning	不
	Xianning (Maqiao)	不
	Jiayu	不
	Chongyang	不
	Chibi	冒
	Tongshan	不
	Jianli	不
	Yueyang	不
	Pingjiang (Xijiang)	不
	Liuyang	不
	Liling (Baitutan)	不
	Youxian	不
	Chaling	唔
	Leiyang	唔
Jianning	唔
Jinxian	不
Jinxi	冒
Le'an	冒
Guangchang	冒
Anfu	冒
Suichuan	唔
Wan'an	唔
Jing'an	沒
Zhangshu	冒
Xingan	冒
Fenyi	冒
Hakka	Meixian	唔
	Xingning	唔
	Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua)	唔
	Huidong (Daling)	唔
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	唔
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	唔
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	唔
	Heyuan (Bendihua)	唔
	Wengyuan	唔
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	唔
	Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang)	唔
	Liannan	唔
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	唔
	Jiexi	唔
	Zhao'an (Xiuzhuan)	唔
	Changting	唔
	Shanghang	唔
	Wuping	唔
	Wuping (Pingyu)	唔
	Liancheng	唔
	Ninghua	唔, 不
	Qingliu	唔
	Yudu	唔
	Ningdu	唔
	Ruijin	唔
	Shicheng	唔
	Shangyou (Shexi)	晤
	Tonggu (Sandu)	唔
	Ganzhou (Panlong)	唔
	Ganzhou (Nankang)	唔
	Dayu	唔
	Quannan	唔
	Dingnan	唔
	Longnan	唔
	Xunwu	冒
	Anyuan	唔
	Huichang	冒
	Chongyi	唔
	Xingguo	莫
	Yunhe (Jinshuitan)	唔
	Tonggu	唔
	Fengxin (Zaoxi)	唔
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	唔
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	唔
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	唔
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	唔
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	唔
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	唔
	Hong Kong	唔
	Maoming (Shalang, Dianbai)	無
	Mengshan (Xihe)	冒
	Luchuan (Daqiao)	冇
Huizhou	Jixi	不
	Shexian	不
	Huangshan (Tunxi)	不
	Huangshan (Huizhou)	不
	Wuyuan	沒
	Fuliang	不
	Dexing	不
	Chun'an (Qiandaohu)	不
	Jiande (Meicheng)	弗
	Jiande (Shouchang)	勿
Jin	Taiyuan	不
	Jinzhong (Taigu)	不
	Pingyao	不
	Heshun	不
	Qixian	不
	Yangyuan	不
	Datong	不
	Guangling	不
	Shuozhou (Pinglu)	不
	Xinzhou	不
	Wuzhai	不
	Lüliang (Lishi)	不
	Shilou	不
	Linxian	不
	Wenshui	不
	Xixian	不
	Changzhi	不
	Changzhi (Tunliu)	不
	Linhe	不
	Zhangzi	不
	Qinxian	不
	Lingchuan	不
	Jining	不
	Hohhot	不
	Erenhot	不
	Pingshan	不
	Zhangjiakou	不
	Handan	不
	Linzhou	不
	Suide	不
	Zizhou	不
	Mizhi	不
	Jiaxian	不
	Wubu	不
	Shenmu	不
	Fugu	不
	Yulin	不
	Yulin (Hengshan)	不
	Jingbian	不
	Yan'an	不
	Yan'an (Ansai)	不
	Ganquan	不
	Zhidan	不
	Wuqi	不
	Qingjian	不
	Zichang	不
	Yanchuan	不
	Yanchang	不
Jiuxing Yumin	Lanxi	弗
Northern Min	Jian'ou	伓, 𣍐
	Songxi	唔, 𣍐
	Zhenghe	唔, 𣍐
	Pucheng (Shibei)	伓, 𣍐
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	伓, 𣍐
	Fuzhou (Changle)	伓, 𣍐
	Lianjiang	伓, 𣍐
	Fuqing	伓, 𣍐
	Pingtan	伓, 𣍐
	Yongtai	伓, 𣍐
	Minqing	伓, 𣍐
	Gutian	伓, 𣍐
	Pingnan	伓, 𣍐
	Luoyuan	伓, 𣍐
	Fu'an	伓, 𣍐
	Ningde	伓, 𣍐
	Xiapu	伓, 𣍐
	Zherong	伓, 𣍐
	Shouning	伓, 𣍐
	Zhouning	伓, 𣍐
	Fuding	伓, 𣍐
	Matsu	伓, 𣍐
	Taishun	伓
	Cangnan	冇, 無
	Cixi (Guanhaiwei)	伓
Southern Min	Xiamen	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Xiamen (Tong'an)	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Quanzhou	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Jinjiang	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Nan'an	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Shishi	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Hui'an	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Anxi	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Yongchun	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Dehua	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Zhangzhou	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Zhangzhou (Longhai)	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Zhangzhou (Changtai)	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Hua'an	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Nanjing	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Pinghe	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Zhangpu	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Yunxiao	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Zhao'an	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Dongshan	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Taipei	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Kaohsiung	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Tainan	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Kinmen	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Penang (Hokkien)	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Singapore (Hokkien)	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Manila (Hokkien)	毋, 𣍐, 無
	Datian	毋, 𣍐
	Pingnan (Shangdu)	毋
	Cangnan	毋
	Langxi (Feili)	毋
	Chaozhou	唔, 𣍐, 無
	Shantou	唔, 𣍐, 無
	Jieyang	唔
	Haifeng	唔
	Singapore (Teochew)	唔, 𣍐, 無
	Batam (Teochew)	唔, 𣍐, 無
	Pontianak (Teochew)	唔
	Leizhou	伓
	Maoming (Xiadong, Dianbai)	無
	Wenchang	無
	Haikou	無
	Singapore (Hainanese)	無
Puxian Min	Putian	伓, 𣍐
	Xianyou	伓, 𣍐
Central Min	Yong'an	伓, 𣍐
	Sanming (Shaxian)	伓, 𣍐
Shaojiang Min	Shaowu	冒, 唔
	Guangze	唔
	Jiangle	唔
	Mingxi	唔
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	唔
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	冇
	Binyang	冇
Northern Pinghua	Guilin (Dahe)	不
Shehua	Fu'an	唔, 𣍐
	Fuding	唔, 𣍐
	Luoyuan	唔, 𣍐
	Sanming	唔, 𣍐
	Shunchang	唔, 𣍐
	Hua'an	唔, 𣍐
	Jingning (Hexi)	嘸
	Jingning (Zhengkeng)	嘸
Wu	Shanghai	勿
	Shanghai (Yangpu)	勿
	Shanghai (Xinzhuang, Minhang)	勿
	Shanghai (Songjiang)	勿
	Shanghai (Chuansha, Pudong)	勿, 弗
	Shanghai (Nanhui, Pudong)	勿
	Shanghai (Huinan, Pudong)	勿
	Shanghai (Fengxian)	勿
	Shanghai (Jinshan)	勿
	Shanghai (Qingpu)	勿
	Shanghai (Jiading)	勿
	Shanghai (Luodian, Baoshan)	勿
	Shanghai (Yuepu, Baoshan)	勿
	Shanghai (Chongming)	弗, 勿
	Suzhou	弗
	Suzhou (Xishan, Wuzhong)	弗
	Suzhou (Lili, Wujiang)	弗
	Wuxi	弗
	Changshu	弗
	Kunshan	弗
	Zhangjiagang	弗
	Qidong	弗
	Qidong (Lüsi)	不
	Nantong (Haimen)	弗
	Haimen (Sijia)	不
	Rudong	弗
	Jiaxing	弗
	Jiashan	弗
	Pinghu	弗
	Haining (Xiashi)	弗
	Tongxiang	弗
	Haiyan	弗
	Changzhou	弗
	Liyang	弗
	Changzhou (Jintan)	弗
	Yixing	勿
	Danyang	弗
	Jingjiang	不
	Jiangyin	弗
	Nanjing (Gaochun)	不
	Huzhou	弗
	Changxing	弗
	Anji	弗
	Anji (Xiaofeng)	弗
	Deqing	弗
	Hangzhou	不
	Hangzhou (Yuhang)	弗
	Hangzhou (Lin'an)	弗
	Hangzhou (Changfa, Lin'an)	不
	Hangzhou (Yuqian, Lin'an)	不
	Hangzhou (Fuyang)	弗
	Hangzhou (Xiaoshan)	弗
	Tonglu	勿
	Tonglu (Wusheng)	不
	Shaoxing	勿
	Shaoxing (Keqiao)	勿
	Shaoxing (Shangyu)	勿
	Zhuji	弗
	Shengzhou	弗
	Xinchang	弗
	Ningbo	勿, 嘸沒
	Ningbo (Zhenhai)	弗
	Ningbo (Fenghua)	弗
	Ningbo (Beilun)	勿
Ningbo (Yinzhou)	弗
Yuyao	勿
Cixi	弗
Xiangshan	弗
Ninghai	弗
Zhoushan	弗
Zhoushan (Dinghai)	弗
Daishan	弗
Shengsi	勿
Taizhou (Huangyan)	弗
Tiantai	弗, 勿
Xianju	弗
Sanmen	弗
Linhai	弗
Wenling	弗
Yuhuan	弗
Wenzhou	否
Yueqing	否
Yongjia	否
Rui'an	否
Pingyang	否
Taishun	否
Wencheng	否
Lishui	否
Qingtian	否
Jinyun	弗
Wuyi (Liucheng)	弗
Songyang (Xiping)	弗
Yunhe	否
Jingning	否
Qingyuan	否
Longquan	否
Quzhou	弗
Quzhou (Duze, Qujiang)	弗
Suichang	否
Jiangshan	弗
Changshan	弗
Kaihua	弗
Longyou	弗
Jinhua	弗
Jinhua (Tangxi)	弗
Yiwu	弗
Yongkang	弗
Pujiang	弗
Dongyang	弗
Wuyi	弗
Lanxi	弗
Shangrao	嘸
Shangrao (Guangfeng)	唔
Tongling (Xihu & Shun'an)	不
Nanling	不
Tongling (Yi'an)	不
Huangshan	不
Jingxian	不
Jingxian (Zhaji)	不
Pucheng	嘸
Xiang	Changsha	不, 唔
	Yiyang, Hunan	不
	Xiangtan	不
	Xiangxiang	不
	Loudi	不
	Shuangfeng	不
	Xinhua	唔
	Lianyuan	不
	Shaoyang	唔, 莫
	Wugang	不, 冇
	Hengyang	不
	Hengshan	不
	Qiyang	不
	Quanzhou	不
Xiangnan Tuhua	Jiangyong	沒
	Dong'an	不
Yuebei Tuhua	Shaoguan (Dacun, Baitu, Qujiang)	唔
	Shaoguan (Xiangyang, Xihe, Wujiang)	唔
	Shaoguan (Shibei, Xinshao, Zhenjiang)	唔
	Renhua (Zhoutian)	唔
	Renhua (Shitang)	不, 唔
	Ruyuan (Songwei, Guitou)	唔

Compounds

• 冇事
• 冇問題 / 冇问题
• 冇嘢
• 冇得
• 冇有
• 冇眼睇
• 冇計 / 冇计
• 冇釐
• 冇關係 / 冇关系
• 有冇

Etymology 2

trad.		冇
simp. #		冇

Compare Saek [script needed] (phoong^C2, “hollow; hole (in a tree, bamboo)”), Proto-Bahnaric *pɔːŋ (“hollow; flattened”) (Schuessler, 2007).

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): phang

  (Meixian, Guangdong): pang⁴

• Eastern Min (BUC): páng
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): por⁴ / pornn⁴
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): phàⁿ

  (Teochew, Peng'im): pan³

---

• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: phang
    • Hakka Romanization System: pang
    • Hagfa Pinyim: pang⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /pʰaŋ⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: pang⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /pʰaŋ⁵³/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: páng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰɑŋ²¹³/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: por⁴
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: po̤̍ⁿ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰɒ⁴²/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: pornn⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰɒ̃⁴²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: phàⁿ
    • Tâi-lô: phànn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: phvax
    • IPA (Xiamen): /pʰã²¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /pʰã⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /pʰã²¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /pʰã¹¹/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /pʰã²¹/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: pan³
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: phàⁿ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰã²¹³/

Definitions

冇

1. (Min, Hakka) empty; hollow; spongy; not sturdy

   冇柴 [Hokkien]  ―  phàⁿ-chhâ [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  porous wood

2. (Min, Hakka) unreliable; undependable; casual
3. (Southern Min) extravagant; generous

   冇手 [Hokkien]  ―  phàⁿ-chhiú [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  generous

4. (Hakka) insufficient; lacking

Etymology 3

trad.		冇
simp. #		冇

Pronunciation

• Cantonese (Jyutping): mou²

---

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: mou²
    • Yale: móu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: mou²
    • Guangdong Romanization: mou²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mou̯³⁵/

Definitions

冇

1. (Cantonese) Contraction of 唔好 (m⁴ hou², “don't”).

   冇煩我！／冇烦我！ [Cantonese]  ―  mou² faan⁴ ngo⁵! [Jyutping]  ―  Don't annoy me!

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 別 (“do not”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		勿, 莫1, 毋, 無
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		別, 不要, 勿, 別要 chiefly Hong Kong
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	別, 別價
	Taiwan	別, 不要
	Harbin	別
	Malaysia	不要
	Singapore	不要
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	別, 別價, 甭價, 不要
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	別
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	嫑, 甭1, 休
	Wanrong	嫑, 不要
	Xi'an	嫑, 不敢
	Xining	嫑
	Xuzhou	嫑, 休
Lanyin Mandarin	Lanzhou	不要
	Ürümqi	嫑
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	莫1, 不要, 嫑
	Wuhan	莫1, 不
	Guiyang	不要
	Guilin	莫1
	Liuzhou	莫1, 莫要
	Xiangtan (Jiangnan Industries Group koine)	莫1
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	不要
	Yangzhou	莫1, 不要
	Hefei	別, 不要
Cantonese	Guangzhou	咪, 咪個, 唔好
	Hong Kong	咪, 唔好, 冇, 咪個 dated
	Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou)	唔好
	Macau	唔要
	Foshan (Shunde)	咪
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	咪
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	唔好
	Taishan	唔好
	Kaiping (Chikan)	唔好
	Dongguan	咪, 唔好
	Shaoguan	咪
	Yunfu	咪, 唔好
	Yangjiang	莫1, 無好
	Xinyi	毛
	Lianjiang	冇
	Nanning	冇要
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	咪
	Singapore (Guangfu)	咪, 唔好
Gan	Nanchang	莫1
	Lichuan	毋要, 不要
	Pingxiang	不要
Hakka	Meixian	莫1, 毋愛, 毋好
	Xingning	毋愛
	Huidong (Daling)	毋好
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	毋好
	Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang)	毋好
	Changting	毋要
	Liancheng	毋要
	Ninghua	毋要
	Yudu	毋要, 毋敢
	Ruijin	毋要
	Shicheng	毋要
	Shangyou (Shexi)	毋要
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	毋好
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	毋好
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	毋好
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	毋好
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	毋好
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	毋好
	Hong Kong	毋好
	Sabah (Longchuan)	毋愛
	Senai (Huiyang)	毋好
	Kuching (Hepo)	唔愛
Huizhou	Jixi	不要, 嫑
	Shexian	不要, 嫑
	Huangshan (Tunxi)	不要, 嫑
Jin	Taiyuan	不要, 不敢
	Xinzhou	不要, 嫑, 播
Northern Min	Jian'ou	伓敢, 伓讓, 毋
	Pucheng (Shibei)	伓敢
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	伓通, 毋
	Fuqing	伓通
	Matsu	毋
Southern Min	Xiamen	毋通, 毋愛, 莫2, 𱰠, 莫用, 汰
	Quanzhou	毋通, 毋愛, 甭2, 莫用, 汰
	Zhangzhou	毋通, 莫2, 甭2, 𱰠, 莫用, 汰
	Zhao'an	孬
	Taipei	莫2
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	莫去
	Kaohsiung	莫2
	Yilan	毋通, 莫2
	Changhua (Lukang)	莫2
	Tainan	莫2, 甭2
	Penang (Hokkien)	莫2, 毋通, 甭2
	Singapore (Hokkien)	莫2, 毋通, 甭2
	Manila (Hokkien)	毋通, 甭2
	Pingnan (Shangdu)	別
	Chaozhou	孬, 莫2
	Shantou	孬, 莫2
	Shantou (Chaoyang)	莫2
	Jieyang	孬, 莫2
	Haifeng	莫2
	Ho Chi Minh City (Teochew)	孬
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	孬
	Penang (Teochew)	莫2
	Singapore (Teochew)	莫2, 孬
	Leizhou	無地
	Haikou	無用, 莫2, 無莫
	Qionghai	無用
	Singapore (Hainanese)	無用
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	冇要
Wu	Shanghai	勿要, 𧟰
	Shanghai (Chongming)	拗
	Suzhou	𧟰
	Wuxi	𧟰
	Nantong (Haimen)	拗, 拗要, 弗要
	Danyang	弗要, 𫸻
	Hangzhou	嫑
	Hangzhou (Yuhang)	弗要, 消, 𧟰
	Ningbo	莫, 甮
	Wenzhou	𧟰
	Lishui	⿰毋樂
	Qingyuan	⿰否樂
	Jinhua	𫸻, 弗要, 弗用
Xiang	Changsha	莫1, 不要
	Loudi	不要, 莫1
	Shuangfeng	莫1
	Quanzhou	別

See also

• 好冇

Etymology 4

trad.		冇
simp. #		冇

From etymology 1, with rising intonation.

Pronunciation

• Cantonese (Jyutping): mou²

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• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: mou²
    • Yale: móu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: mou²
    • Guangdong Romanization: mou²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mou̯³⁵/

Definitions

冇

1. (Cantonese, dialectal, uncommon or dated) Used at the end of questions to ask if one has done something yet.

   Synonym: 未 (mei⁶)

   食咗飯冇？／食咗饭冇？ [Cantonese]  ―  sik⁶ zo² faan⁶ mou²? [Jyutping]  ―  Have you eaten?

   • (Can we date this quote?), 郊遊前　準備好　聯繫方法要知道, 通訊事務管理局 [Communications Authority]:

     我哋收到喇，你又收到冇？ [Cantonese, trad. and simp.]

     ngo⁵ dei⁶ sau¹ dou^3-2 laa³, nei⁵ jau⁶ sau¹ dou^3-2 mou²? [Jyutping]

     We've received it. What about you?

References

• “冇”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), B00004
• 莆田市政协文化文史和学习委员会 [Culture, History and Learning Committee of Putian CPPCC], editor (2021), “冇”, in 莆仙方言大词典 [Comprehensive Dictionary of Puxian Dialect] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), Xiamen University Press, →ISBN, page 445.
• 莆田市荔城区档案馆 [Putian City Licheng District Archives], editor (2022), “冇”, in 莆仙方言文读字汇 [Puxian Dialect Literary Reading Dictionary] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), page 152.
• zi.tools

Vietnamese

Han character

冇: Hán Nôm readings: mậu

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.