before long; soon; nothing
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 5 examplesadverb
before long; soon; in a short while
literaryUsed in classical or literary texts to indicate a brief passage of time.
Jū居
wú无
hé何
，
chéng丞
xiàng相
bìng病
zú卒
。
Not long after taking up residence, the prime minister died of illness.
Wú无
hé何
，
tiān天
liàng亮
le了
，
wǒ我
men们
chū出
fā发
ba吧
。
Before long, dawn broke; let's set off.
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Wú无
hé何
，
dí敌
jūn军
tuì退
qù去
。
Shortly thereafter, the enemy troops retreated.
verb
nothing; nothing else; nothing more
literaryIndicates the absence of matters or concerns; often used in fixed phrases.
Xián闲
jū居
wú无
hé何
，
wéi唯
yǐ以
qín琴
shū书
zì自
yú娱
。
In leisure with nothing else to do, I entertained myself only with zither and books.
Zhōng终
rì日
wú无
hé何
，
zhǐ只
shì是
dú读
shū书
。
All day with nothing else going on, I simply read books.