不知所终 — “To disappear without a trace”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 不知所终?

终：最后，结局。不知道结局或下落。

不知所终 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to disappear without a trace”. To vanish, leaving no clue as to one's whereabouts or ultimate fate.

Frequency

不知所终 Pronunciation and Pinyin

不知所终 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
不	bù	4	not
知	zhī	8	to know, be aware, understand
所	suǒ	8	place or that which
终	zhōng	8	End, final, eventually

Example Sentence with 不知所终

那个流浪多年的画家，最终离开了这个小镇，不知所终

That painter who had wandered for many years finally left this small town and has not been heard of since.

Origin and Story of 不知所终

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Xiang Chang, a poor scholar from Henan, had a deep understanding of "Laozi" and "I Ching." Villagers considered him very knowledgeable.

The imperial court sent people to invite him to become an official in the capital, but he politely declined. His fellow villagers all thought that his profound scholarship had made him increasingly confused.

Later, he invited a few old friends to visit Mount Tai, Mount Heng, and other places. A few years later, his whereabouts became unknown.