一窍不通 — “To be completely ignorant”
一窍不通 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be completely ignorant”. To know absolutely nothing about something; to be totally in the dark. Literally, “Not a single orifice is clear/unobstructed”.
一窍不通 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 一yī
- 窍qiào
- 不bù
- 通tōng
一窍不通 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 一窍不通
Origin and Story of 一窍不通
During the late Shang Dynasty, King Zhou (殷纣王) was the last emperor, a tyrannical ruler despised by his people. He neglected state affairs, indulged in wine and women, and blindly trusted the treacherous concubine Daji, leading a life of debauchery.
Bi Gan (比干), a loyal and upright minister, was deeply concerned by King Zhou's foolishness. He repeatedly and earnestly advised the king to mend his ways and act for the good of the people.
One day, influenced by Daji, King Zhou ordered the execution of the innocent Mei Bo, decreeing that he be minced into a paste. Upon learning this, Bi Gan rushed to admonish the king, urging him not to believe Daji's slanders or wrongfully kill innocent people, warning that such behavior would lead to the downfall of the kingdom.
Bi Gan's continuous fervent pleas for several days greatly displeased King Zhou. Enraged, King Zhou exclaimed, "I have long heard that a sage's heart has seven apertures. I will kill him and take out his heart to see for myself!" King Zhou indeed killed Bi Gan and had his heart removed.
Later, Confucius, reflecting on this incident, sighed, "King Zhou's mind (heart's apertures) was utterly blocked. If even one aperture had been clear, Bi Gan would not have been killed!" This idiom describes someone who is completely ignorant or understands nothing about a subject.
Idioms Related to 一窍不通
More idioms starting with 一
- yī一dīng丁bù不shí识completely illiterate
- yī一dīng丁diǎn点er儿a tiny bit
- yī一bù不zuò作，，èr二bù不xiū休Finish what you start
- yī一bù不zuò做，，èr二bù不xiū休in for a penny, in for a pound
- yī一bù不yā压zhòng众，，bǎi百bù不suí随yī一The minority cannot prevail against the majority
- yī一bù不niǔ扭zhòng众One person cannot defy the crowd
- yī一shì世zhī之xióng雄A hero of a generation
- yī一shì世lóng龙mén门A generation's revered influential figure
- yī一qiū丘yī一hè壑live contentedly in nature
- yī一qiū丘zhī之hé貉birds of a feather
- yī一sī丝yī一háo毫the slightest amount
- yī一sī丝bù不luàn乱perfectly orderly and neat
Questions about 一窍不通
- What does 一窍不通 mean?
- 一窍不通 (yī qiào bù tōng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be completely ignorant”.
- How do you pronounce 一窍不通?
- 一窍不通 is pronounced yī qiào bù tōng in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 一窍不通 literally mean?
- Literally, 一窍不通 means “not a single orifice is clear/unobstructed”. It is used to mean “to be completely ignorant”.
- Where does 一窍不通 come from?
- 一窍不通 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 一窍不通?
- 窍：洞，指心窍。没有一窍是贯通的。比喻一点儿也不懂。