有 害 无 利

yǒu hài wú lìdictionary entry

harmful and without benefit (idiom) / more harm than good

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-abec94abf9675425. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

有害無利有害无利 [you3 hai4 wu2 li4] /harmful and without benefit (idiom); more harm than good/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 有害無利

有
yǒu
to have / there is / (bound form) having / with / -ful / -ed / -al (as in 有意[yǒu yì] intentional)
害
hài
to do harm to / to cause trouble to / harm / evil / calamity
无
mó
used in 南無|南无[nā mó]
wú
not to have / no / none / not / to lack / un- / -less
利
lì
sharp / favorable / advantage / benefit / profit / interest / to do good to / to benefit
Lì
surname Li

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.