风马牛不相及 — “To be totally unrelated”
风马牛不相及 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be totally unrelated”. To have nothing to do with each other; to be completely irrelevant. Literally, “Wind, horses, and cattle do not reach each other”.
风马牛不相及 Pronunciation and Pinyin
风马牛不相及 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 风马牛不相及
Origin and Story of 风马牛不相及
During the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Huan of Qi appointed Guan Zhong as his prime minister. Under Guan Zhong's governance, the state of Qi became powerful.
When the state of Chu failed to pay tribute to Qi, Duke Huan sent troops to attack Chu.
The envoy from Chu said, "Your state of Qi and our state of Chu are far apart, one in the south and one in the north. Even if horses and cattle stray with the wind, they wouldn't reach each other's territory. Why do you wage war?"
After negotiations, Chu and Qi reconciled.
Idioms Related to 风马牛不相及
Synonyms of 风马牛不相及
Antonyms of 风马牛不相及
More idioms starting with 风
- fēng风bù不míng鸣tiáo条social tranquility
- fēng风sī丝bù不tòu透completely sealed and airtight
- fēng风zhōng中zhī之zhú烛precarious and fragile state
- fēng风zhōng中bǐng秉zhú烛precarious state, near death
- fēng风jǔ举yún云yáo摇rise rapidly to prominence
- fēng风jǔ举yún云fēi飞Rise swiftly and majestically
- fēng风yún云wàn万biàn变ever-changing circumstances
- fēng风yún云bù不cè测unforeseen changes in circumstances
- fēng风yún云zhī之zhì志Grand and lofty aspirations
- fēng风yún云rén人wù物influential figure of the era
- fēng风yún云huì会hé合Capable individuals seize rare opportunities
- fēng风yún云biàn变huàn幻rapid and unpredictable changes
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Open the tool →Questions about 风马牛不相及
What does 风马牛不相及 mean?
风马牛不相及 (fēng mǎ niú bù xiāng jí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be totally unrelated”.
How do you pronounce 风马牛不相及?
风马牛不相及 is pronounced fēng mǎ niú bù xiāng jí in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 风马牛不相及 literally mean?
Literally, 风马牛不相及 means “Wind, horses, and cattle do not reach each other”. It is used to mean “to be totally unrelated”.
Where does 风马牛不相及 come from?
风马牛不相及 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 风马牛不相及?
风：走失；及：到。本指齐楚相去很远，即使马牛走失，也不会跑到对方境内。比喻事物彼此毫不相干。