未卜先知
未卜先知 (wèi bǔ xiān zhī) literally means “knowing before divination” and expresses “foresight or intuition”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving wisdom and learning.
Also searched as: wei bu xian zhi, wei bu xian zhi,未卜先知 meaning, 未卜先知 in english
Foresight or intuition
Pronunciation: wèi bǔ xiān zhī Literal meaning: Knowing before divination
Origin & Usage
卜 is divination by heat-cracked bone and shell, the oldest recorded Chinese writing system's original purpose. To know (知) first (先) without having divined (未卜) is therefore to reach the answer without the apparatus. The phrase comes from Yuan drama and is usually light in tone — it is what you say to someone who guessed correctly, or, in the negative, to disclaim any special insight: 我又不是未卜先知, I'm not a fortune-teller.
Examples
English: "His ability to predict market trends seems almost supernatural."
Chinese: 他的市场趋势预测能力未卜先知，令人惊叹。
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about wisdom & learning
先知先觉
xiān zhī xiān jué
Foresight and insight
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防患未然
fáng huàn wèi rán
Prepare in advance
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未雨绸缪
wèi yǔ chóu móu
Prepare before problems arise
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前所未有
qián suǒ wèi yǒu
Unprecedented; never seen before
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先见之明
xiān jiàn zhī míng
Visionary foresight
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先入为主
xiān rù wéi zhǔ
Preconceived notions
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知行合一
zhī xíng hé yī
Practice what you know
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温故知新
wēn gù zhī xīn
Learn new through studying old
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 未卜先知 mean in English?
未卜先知 (wèi bǔ xiān zhī) literally translates to “Knowing before divination” and is used to express “Foresight or intuition”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Wisdom & Learning category.
When is 未卜先知 used?
Situation: His ability to predict market trends seems almost supernatural.
What is the pinyin for 未卜先知?
The pinyin pronunciation for 未卜先知 is “wèi bǔ xiān zhī”.