諺語 · a single proverb
無所不知
Simplified: 无所不知
What does 無所不知 (wú suǒ bù zhī) mean?
無所不知 (wú suǒ bù zhī) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "there is nothing one does not know." In use it means: A claim of knowing everything, which is always an overstatement; the impossibility of total knowledge. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Monkey.
Literally: "there is nothing one does not know."
The reading
The person who knows everything has never been born and never will be. The phrase exists not as a compliment but as a warning label: anyone who wears it is either lying or has not yet encountered the question that exposes the gap. Admire deep knowledge. Distrust claimed omniscience.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common classical expression; appears in various philosophical texts
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Monkey, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 無所不知 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 無所不知 (wú suǒ bù zhī) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Common classical expression; appears in various philosophical texts. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 無所不知?
In Mandarin it is wú suǒ bù zhī. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 無所不知 aloud in Mandarin.