wū​yǒu

how could there be

  • created sense approved 乌有/烏有 · wū​yǒu · how could there be — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    乌有 / 烏有

    wū​yǒu

    how could there be

    (literary) used to express a rhetorical question; where is there; how can there be

    乌 (literal) → 乌/烏 · wū · [rhetorical question] 有 (literal) → 有 · yǒu · there is

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense

  • created sense approved 乌有/烏有 · wū​yǒu · nonexistent — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    乌有 / 烏有

    wū​yǒu

    nonexistent

    (literary) to not exist; illusory; naught; nothing; used to refer to people or things that are imaginary

    乌 (literal) → 乌/烏 · wū · [rhetorical question] 有 (literal) → 有 · yǒu · there is

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense

  • created sense approved 乌有/烏有 · wū​yǒu · Mr. Wuyou — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    乌有 / 烏有

    wū​yǒu

    Mr. Wuyou

    a fictional character in Sima Xiangru's Han-dynasty piece [[子虚赋|子虛賦|zi3 xu1 fu4]], used to represent something nonexistent or imaginary

    乌 (literal) → 乌/烏 · wū · [rhetorical question] 有 (literal) → 有 · yǒu · there is

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense