史无前例
shǐ wú qián lì · HSK 7
unprecedented in history
📜 史 history + 无 without + 前 previous + 例 example = no prior case ever recorded
A four-part compound: literally history-without-previous-example. When something has no earlier instance on record, it is 史无前例 — unprecedented. Note 无 (wú) is the classical word for without, common in such set phrases.
无 — top 一 + 林-like middle + fire radical 灬 below
Originally a pictograph of a person dancing while holding ornaments or tassels, meaning 'to dance' — the ancestor of 舞. It was borrowed phonetically to write the negative 'not have / without,' and the dance meaning was reassigned to 舞 with an added foot element. The simplified form 无 comes from an ancient variant.
前 — top 丷 + 一 + 月 (moon) + 刂 (knife)
Originally written 歬, depicting a foot 止 above a boat 舟, meaning to advance or go forward. Over time the form evolved and the knife radical 刂 was added, while 止 and 舟 fused into the modern shape. The core meaning 'front, before, ahead' has stayed consistent.