📖 Meaning
It means two people have never met each other in person before. The phrase is commonly used to describe strangers or online acquaintances who have interacted but never seen one another face to face.
📜 Origin Story
Unlike many classical chengyu tied to a specific historical anecdote, this expression has no single textual origin and developed from everyday literary usage. '素' means 'ordinarily' or 'all along,' '未' means 'not yet,' and '谋面' is a classical term for 'to meet face to face.' It appears in modern Chinese fiction, correspondence, and journalism to emphasize that two parties have no prior personal acquaintance despite possibly knowing of each other.
💡 Example Usage
我和这位网友素未谋面，却聊得十分投机。
I have never met this online friend in person, yet we chat very congenially.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 素未谋面
- Pinyin: sù wèi móu miàn
- Literal Translation: usually, not yet, meet, face
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4