无形

• Pinyin: wú xíng
• Hanzi breakdown: 无 = without; 形 = 开 + 彡 (open framework + decorative strokes — shape, form, visible appearance)

Meaning

Formless; intangible; lacking visible or physical form. Describes things that exist and have influence but cannot be seen, touched, or directly measured.

Widely used in economics (无形资产 = intangible assets), psychology (无形压力 = invisible pressure), and philosophy. Often contrasted with 有形 (tangible). Also appears as a modifier: 无形的力量 (intangible force), 无形的壁垒 (invisible barrier).

Examples

1. 品牌声誉是企业最重要的无形资产之一，其价值往往难以用金钱衡量。 Brand reputation is one of a company’s most important intangible assets, and its value is often hard to measure in money.
2. 长期的工作压力在无形中侵蚀着员工的身心健康，管理层对此不可忽视。 Long-term work pressure quietly erodes employees’ physical and mental health, something management must not ignore.
3. 文化传统作为一种无形的力量，深刻影响着一个民族的思维方式与价值取向。 Cultural tradition, as an intangible force, profoundly shapes a nation’s way of thinking and values.

Usage Guide

Context: economics, philosophy, psychology, business, social analysis

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 知识产权、商誉和用户数据等无形资产的价值，常常远超科技公司的有形资产。(The value of intangible assets such as intellectual property, goodwill, and user data often far exceeds the tangible assets of tech companies.)
• 制度性歧视常以无形方式渗入组织文化，使弱势群体在晋升、薪酬和发言上持续处于劣势。(Institutional discrimination often seeps into organizational culture in an invisible way, leaving disadvantaged groups at a continuing disadvantage in promotion, pay, and speaking up.)

Don't Say

• 无形 simply to mean 'invisible' as in physically not visible at a given moment — use 看不见 or 不可见; 无形 describes something that by its very nature lacks physical form or tangible existence

Origin & History

无 (without) + 形 (form, shape) — without perceptible form

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal