無

• Existential/Possessive: "There is no," "does not exist," or "to be without."
• Substantive (Philosophical): Non-being, the Void, or Emptiness. In metaphysical or Daoist contexts, this often denotes a generative primordial state rather than absolute nothingness.

• Verb: Functions as an existential or possessive verb (the antonym of 有).
• Negating Modifier: Functions as a prefix to adjectives or nouns to indicate the absence of a quality or entity (analogous to un-, non-, or -less).

• 無 vs. 毋: While occasionally interchangeable in early texts, 無 is generally descriptive or existential ("there is no"), whereas 毋 is typically prohibitive or imperative ("do not"). A transition between these two glyphs in a passage may signal a shift from description to command.

// Readings: Tang-period reading //mio (Fanqie: 武夫); modern Mandarin wú.

• Variants: U+65E0 (Standard/Simplified) and various early script variations are functionally identical in meaning.

• When translating as "lack," be aware that English often implies a deficiency or a missing requirement; 無 can simply denote a neutral state of absence.