一丝不挂
一丝不挂 (yī sī bù guà) literally means “not one thread hanging” and expresses “stark naked; wholly unattached”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.
Also searched as: yi si bu gua, yi si bu gua,一丝不挂 meaning, 一丝不挂 in english
Stark naked; wholly unattached
Pronunciation: yī sī bù guà Literal meaning: Not one thread hanging
Origin & Usage
This one begins in Chan Buddhist writing, where 丝 is a fishing line and the point is a fish with no thread attached to it — nothing hooked, nothing tying it to anything. That is the state of non-attachment. Learners must know that modern Chinese has taken it somewhere else entirely: in ordinary use today 一丝不挂 means stark naked, with 丝 read as a thread of clothing. The spiritual sense survives only in Buddhist contexts, and using the phrase for freedom from cares will be badly misunderstood.
Examples
English: "He came out of the water with nothing on at all"
Chinese: 他一丝不挂地从水里走出来
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about life philosophy
一丝不苟
yī sī bù gǒu
Extremely careful and thorough
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黄粱一梦
huáng liáng yī mèng
Ephemeral dreams
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弄假成真
nòng jiǎ chéng zhēn
Reality from pretense
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普天同庆
pǔ tiān tóng qìng
Shared celebration
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穷途末路
qióng tú mò lù
No options left
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天花乱坠
tiān huā luàn zhuì
Exaggerated speech
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白驹过隙
bái jū guò xì
Time flies swiftly
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痴人说梦
chī rén shuō mèng
Nonsensical talk
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 一丝不挂 mean in English?
一丝不挂 (yī sī bù guà) literally translates to “Not one thread hanging” and is used to express “Stark naked; wholly unattached”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 一丝不挂 used?
Situation: He came out of the water with nothing on at all
What is the pinyin for 一丝不挂?
The pinyin pronunciation for 一丝不挂 is “yī sī bù guà”.