不计其数

Pronunciation: bù jì qí shù Literal meaning: Countless in number

Origin & Usage

Commonly used in classical Chinese, the idiom 不计其数 (bù jì qí shù) describes situations where something is so numerous that it cannot be counted. The phrase first appeared in the Song dynasty, notably in the works of Wei Liaoweng, who used it to describe the countless soldiers scattered around the city. The characters themselves paint a vivid picture: 不 (bù, not), 计 (jì, count), 其 (qí, its), 数 (shù, number), collectively conveying the idea of an unquantifiable multitude. In modern usage, this idiom is employed to express the overwhelming abundance of items, people, or occurrences, emphasizing the sheer scale beyond numerical comprehension.

Examples

English: "There are countless stars in the night sky, each one a distant sun."

Chinese: 夜空中有不计其数的星星，每一颗都是遥远的太阳。