CHENGYU
未卜先知(wèi bǔ xiān zhī)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral, often humorous
- Source:
- 元·无名氏《桃花女》
MEANING
- Literal
- to know without divining
- Figurative meaning
- to foresee events; almost prophetic insight
ORIGIN STORY
From a Yuan dynasty play, where a character is mocked for pretending to read the future with the Book of Changes. The phrase describes knowing things before they happen — often said with a wink.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to have second sight”
EXAMPLES
结果正如他说的那样，他真是未卜先知。Jiéguǒ zhèng rú tā shuō de nàyàng, tā zhēn shì wèi bǔ xiān zhī.HSK6
It turned out exactly as he said — he really can see the future.
我又不能未卜先知，怎么知道会下雨？Wǒ yòu bù néng wèi bǔ xiān zhī, zěnme zhīdào huì xià yǔ?HSK6
I cannot foretell the future — how was I to know it would rain?
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Often used playfully; literal prophets are not the point.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
未wèinot yet
卜bǔto divine
先xiānbeforehand
知zhīto know
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01