📖 Meaning
To contain or encompass absolutely everything that exists. A variant of the more common 包罗万象, it describes something so comprehensive that it covers all categories and aspects. Often used of collections of knowledge, content, or concerns that are all-embracing in scope.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a variant of 包罗万象, substituting 有 (existence) for 象 (phenomena). It is attested in Guo Moruo's essay Romanticism and Realism (《浪漫主义和现实主义》), where he writes, 'The matters he cares about truly encompass everything.' Guo Moruo (1892–1978) was a celebrated modern Chinese writer, poet, historian, and intellectual. The phrase draws on the classical notion that all creation and affairs under heaven can be gathered together into one whole.
💡 Example Usage
这部百科全书的题材包罗万有，涵盖古今中外各领域知识。
The topics covered by this encyclopedia are all-encompassing, spanning knowledge from every field across all ages and nations.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 包罗万有
- Pinyin: bāo luó wàn yǒu
- Literal Translation: encompass, gather, ten thousand, exist
- Category: Variety
- Characters: 4