冇

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

Translingual

Han character

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

References

• KangXi: not present, would follow page 128, character 35
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 1, page 96, character 17
• Unihan data for U+5187

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Chinese

Glyph origin

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

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.		冇
alt. forms		無／无 冒 Xiang

From 無 (MC mɨo, “to not have”), fused with 有 (MC ɦɨu^X, “to have”) (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): mǎo, mǒu (mao³, mou³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄠˇ, ㄇㄡˇ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou, Jyutping): mou⁵

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): mau¹

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): mò

  (Meixian, Guangdong): mo²

• Wu (Wiktionary): mau (T3)
• Xiang (Wiktionary): mau⁵ / mau⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: mǎo
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄠˇ
    • Wade-Giles: mao³
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mao
    • IPA ^(key): /mɑʊ̯²¹⁴/
      
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: mǒu
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄡˇ
    • Wade-Giles: mou³
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: moou
    • IPA ^(key): /moʊ̯²¹⁴/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: mou⁵
    • Yale: móuh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: mou⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: mou⁵
    • IPA ^(key): /mou̯¹³/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: mau¹
    • IPA ^(key): /ᵐbau³³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mò
    • Hakka Romanization System: moˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: mo²
    • IPA: /mo¹¹/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: mo²
    • IPA: /mo¹¹/
• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • Wiktionary: mau (T3)
    • IPA ^(key): /mɔ²³/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: mau⁵ / mau⁶
    • IPA ^(key): /mɒu²¹/, /mɒu²⁴/

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

   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.]

   From: 陳慧嫻, 紅茶館

   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。 / 我冇同佢讲。 [Cantonese]  ―  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.

Usage notes

• Originally from Cantonese, the meaning of this character is now passively understood by many Mandarin speakers.

Etymology 2

simp. and trad.		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

• Min Dong (BUC): páng
• Min Nan

  (Hokkien, POJ): phàⁿ

  (Teochew, Peng'im): pan³

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• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: phang
    • Hakka Romanization System: pang
    • Hagfa Pinyim: pang⁴
    • IPA: /pʰaŋ⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: pang⁴
    • IPA: /pʰaŋ⁵³/
• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: páng
    • IPA ^(key): /pʰɑŋ²¹³/
• Min Nan
  • (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
    • IPA ^(key): /pʰã²¹³/

Definitions

冇

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

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

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

   冇手 [Min Nan]  ―  phàⁿ-chhiú [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  generous

4. (Hakka) insufficient; lacking

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Vietnamese

Han character

冇 (mậu)

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