莫名其妙

mò míng qí miào

  • Meaning

    Literal

    -

    Usage

    Describes something that is very strange, unexplainable, and/or leaves people confused

  • Connotation

    Neutral

  • Usage Examples

    圣诞节前不久，他突然莫名其妙地病了 | Shèngdàn jié qián bù jiǔ, tā túrán mòmíngqímiào de bìng le
    Not long before Christmas, he mysteriously fell ill
    [Source]

    自然界有很多现象使人莫名其妙 | Zìránjiè yǒu hěnduō xiànxiàng shǐ rén mòmíngqímiào
    The natural world has many things that are inexplicable
    [Source]

  • Equivalents

    English

    None

    Chinese

    莫明其妙 (mò míng qí miào)

  • Entry Notes

    This is an HSK chengyu

  • Origin

    《二十年目睹之怪现状》(Èr Shí Nián Mù Dǔ Zhī Guài Xiàn Zhuàng), a work by Qīng Dynasty (清, 1644 - 1911) novelist 吴趼人 (Wú Jiǎn Rén). It is generally known in English as "The Strange State of the World Witnessed Over 20 Years" or "Bizarre Happenings Eyewitnessed over Two Decades."

  • Story

    This chengyu is from a line in the work listed in the "Origin" section above

  • Citations and Helpful Resources

    • 汉语成语小词典 (hànyǔ chéngyǔ xiǎo cídiǎn)
    • 现代汉语规范词典 (xiàndài hànyǔ guīfàn cídiǎn)
    • 多功能成语词典 (duō gōngnéng chéngyǔ cídiǎn)
    • 汉语大词典 (hànyǔ dà cídiǎn)
    • ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary
    • Pleco Basic Chinese-English Dictionary
    • 百度百科[x]