📖 Meaning
Something so mysterious and unfathomable that even gods and spirits cannot figure it out. It describes a situation, plan, or person's intentions that are completely beyond anyone's ability to predict or deduce.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase traces to 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' (三国演义) by Ming Dynasty author Luo Guanzhong, Chapter 87. After the brilliant strategist Zhuge Liang devised a remarkable plan, his generals bowed in admiration and exclaimed, 'The Prime Minister's calculations are so ingenious that even gods and spirits cannot fathom them.' The original text reads 神鬼莫测, of which 神鬼难测 is a common variant expressing the same meaning. It is also used in the anonymous Ming play 'Fa Jin Xing Qi' (伐晋兴齐), where it praises military strategy as beyond supernatural comprehension.
💡 Example Usage
他的棋路神鬼难测，对手无从招架。
His chess moves are so unfathomable that even gods and ghosts could not predict them, leaving his opponents helpless.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 神鬼难测
- Pinyin: shén guǐ nán cè
- Literal Translation: spirit, ghost, difficult, to fathom
- Category: Wisdom
- Characters: 4