📖 Meaning
To hide one's traces and conceal one's form. It describes someone who goes into hiding so completely that no sign of their presence can be detected. The phrase emphasizes remaining entirely out of sight and undetected.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Yuan dynasty playwright Gao Wenxiu's work 'Hei Xuanfeng' (The Black Whirlwind), specifically in the first act. In the play, a character expresses enduring humiliation silently by hiding away and concealing all traces of himself. The expression has since been used to describe someone who disappears completely from public view, leaving no clue to their whereabouts.
💡 Example Usage
罪犯作案后匿迹潜形，警方多方追查仍无结果。
After committing the crime, the culprit went completely into hiding, and despite extensive investigation, the police found no trace of him.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 匿迹潜形
- Pinyin: nì jì qián xíng
- Literal Translation: hide, traces, conceal, form
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4