







莫测高深 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Too profound or subtle to be understood or fathomed”. Inscrutable; enigmatic; beyond comprehension, often implying a deliberate obscurity in one's demeanor, speech, or intentions. Literally, “Cannot fathom high and deep”.
During the Western Han Dynasty, Yan Yiannian, the upright prefect of Zhuo Commandery, soon after taking office, learned that the local Gao family committed all sorts of evil deeds. He dispatched his subordinate, Zhao Xiu, to investigate. When Zhao Xiu attempted to secretly cover up for the Gao family, Yan Yiannian had him executed.
Yan Yiannian's approach to handling cases was different from other officials; he specifically targeted powerful local figures. Neither officials nor common people could ever fathom his true intentions or methods.

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Open the tool →莫测高深 (mò cè gāo shēn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Too profound or subtle to be understood or fathomed”.
莫测高深 is pronounced mò cè gāo shēn in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 莫测高深 means “Cannot fathom high and deep”. It is used to mean “Too profound or subtle to be understood or fathomed”.
莫测高深 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
高深的程度无法揣测。指处世的态度、或说话、文章的内容(多不用在正面,带贬义)。