How do you pronounce 了如指掌?

了如指掌 is pronounced liǎo rú zhǐ zhǎng in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 了如指掌 literally mean?

Literally, 了如指掌 means “Understand clearly as if pointing at the palm of the hand”. It is used to mean “to know something like the back of one's hand”.

Where does 了如指掌 come from?

了如指掌 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 了如指掌?

了：明白；指掌：指着手掌。形容对事物了解得非常清楚，象把东西放在手掌里给人家看一样。

了如指掌 — “To know something like the back of one's hand”

了如指掌 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to know something like the back of one's hand”. To have a thorough and complete understanding of something. Literally, “Understand clearly as if pointing at the palm of the hand”.

Frequency

了如指掌 Pronunciation and Pinyin

了liǎo
如rú
指zhǐ
掌zhǎng

了如指掌 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
了	liǎo	2	completion or change
如	rú	6	like, as, if
指	zhǐ	9	point, indicate, or refer
掌	zhǎng	12	palm, in charge, slap

Example Sentence with 了如指掌

经过长时间的准备和多次演练，她对这次演讲的内容已经了如指掌了。

After extensive preparation and numerous rehearsals, she had a complete and thorough understanding of the content of this speech.

Origin and Story of 了如指掌

In ancient times, emperors would build ancestral temples. Inside these temples, ancestral tablets were arranged according to the rank of the forefathers.

Whenever there were major undertakings or festivals, the emperors would visit the temple to worship their ancestors in a ritual known as the 'Luo' ceremony.

Many people did not understand the intricacies of the Luo ceremony and sought advice from Confucius.

Confucius, believing that the ancestral temple of the State of Lu had deviated from the rites of the Zhou Dynasty, chose not to discuss it directly. Instead, pointing to his palm, he stated, 'Those who truly understand the Luo ceremony will be able to govern the state with perfect clarity, as if everything is laid out in the palm of their hand.'

Idioms Related to 了如指掌

Synonyms of 了如指掌

Antonyms of 了如指掌

More idioms starting with 了

Questions about 了如指掌

What does 了如指掌 mean?: 了如指掌 (liǎo rú zhǐ zhǎng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to know something like the back of one's hand”.
How do you pronounce 了如指掌?: 了如指掌 is pronounced liǎo rú zhǐ zhǎng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 了如指掌 literally mean?: Literally, 了如指掌 means “Understand clearly as if pointing at the palm of the hand”. It is used to mean “to know something like the back of one's hand”.
Where does 了如指掌 come from?: 了如指掌 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 了如指掌?: 了：明白；指掌：指着手掌。形容对事物了解得非常清楚，象把东西放在手掌里给人家看一样。

Copy the pinyin for 了如指掌 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.