勿用

Depending on the implied or explicit object, the term may be applied in three registers:

1. Instrumental/Material: A prohibition against using a specific tool, resource, or physical object.

2. Strategic/Procedural: A directive against employing a particular method, tactic, or course of action.

3. Personnel/Agency: An injunction against hiring, appointing, or relying upon a specific person or class of people.

A prohibitive imperative combining the negative particle 勿 ("do not/must not") with the verb 用 ("to use/employ"). It typically functions as a direct injunction or cautionary directive.

The translator should determine if the prohibition targets the means (the tool or person) or the act itself. In divinatory or prescriptive contexts (such as the Yi Jing), 勿用 often indicates that an action is contraindicated for the specific moment or circumstances, suggesting a matter of timing rather than inherent quality.