📖 Meaning
An extraordinary and bizarre event unprecedented in all of recorded history. It describes something so remarkable or astounding that nothing like it has ever been heard of since ancient times. Used to express utter astonishment at an event that defies all historical precedent.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom has no single definitive literary origin, but is formed by combining 旷古 (meaning 'since antiquity' or 'unprecedented in all of history') with 奇闻 (meaning 'strange tale' or 'bizarre news'). The phrase has been used in vernacular Chinese literature and storytelling to heighten the sense of wonder at events that shatter all expectations. It frequently appears in classical fiction and anecdotal collections where narrators wish to stress that a reported occurrence is utterly without parallel in any age.
💡 Example Usage
他竟把全部家产捐给素不相识的陌生人，真是旷古奇闻。
He donated his entire fortune to a complete stranger he had never met — truly an unprecedented wonder.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 旷古奇闻
- Pinyin: kuàng gǔ qí wén
- Literal Translation: vast antiquity, strange, news
- Category: Knowledge
- Characters: 4