📖 Meaning
Known by everyone; common knowledge. It refers to something so universally recognized that it needs no further explanation or proof.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from the Song dynasty scholar Zhu Xi's essay 'Fengjian' (封建, On the Feudal System). In discussing the changes between ancient and modern times and the realities of benefits and harms, Zhu Xi lamented that even matters that everyone knows and can plainly see are still treated with glaring inconsistency. The expression underscores that certain truths are so self-evident they are beyond dispute.
💡 Example Usage
这是人所共知的事实，你不必再解释了。
This is a fact known to everyone, so there's no need for you to explain further.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 人所共知
- Pinyin: rén suǒ gòng zhī
- Literal Translation: people, that which, together, know
- Category: Knowledge
- Characters: 4