📖 Meaning
To know something as well as if one were pointing at the lines on one's own palm. It describes a person who has an extremely thorough and detailed understanding of a subject. The idiom conveys complete familiarity and clarity about a matter.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Analects of Confucius (论语·八佾). When someone asked Confucius about the ritual of the imperial di sacrifice, Confucius replied that he did not know, but added that whoever truly understood this ritual could govern all under heaven as easily as looking at something in the palm of their hand. He then pointed at his own palm to illustrate. The Han-era commentator Bao Xian (包咸) explained that Confucius meant someone who grasped the meaning of the di ritual would understand the affairs of the world as clearly as showing an object resting in one's palm.
💡 Example Usage
他在这个街区住了三十年，对每条小巷都了如指掌。
He has lived in this neighborhood for thirty years and knows every alley like the back of his hand.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 了如指掌
- Pinyin: liǎo rú zhǐ zhǎng
- Literal Translation: understand, like, point at, palm
- Category: Knowledge
- Characters: 4