勿

wù
adverb HSK 7-9 #8,334

Meanings

  1. 1 do not
  2. 2 must not

Examples

HSK 4
Qǐngwù xīyān.
Please do not smoke.
HSK 5
Xiánrén wù rù.
No entry for unauthorized persons.
HSK 5
Qiè wù chídào.
Make sure not to be late.

Tips

register
勿 is the formal/literary equivalent of 不要 or 别. It is commonly seen on signs (请勿吸烟) and in written warnings, rarely in casual speech.
grammar
勿 directly precedes the verb it negates: 勿 + verb. It functions identically to 不要 but in a more formal register.

Components

radical
勹 bāo
wrap; enclose
The wrapping 勹 forms the upper-right enclosure and serves as the indexing radical. Historically the graph showed a banner with streamers, but the curling outline was reanalyzed as 勹, placing 勿 in the wrap-radical family alongside 包 and 匆.
ideograph
丿 piě
left-falling streamers
The two slanting strokes inside the wrap depict streamers or banner-tails flapping. They function as a visual marker showing motion within the enclosure, completing the prohibition-banner image that gives 勿 its 'do not' meaning.

Stroke Order

勿 wù