📖 Meaning
Literally having neither sound nor smell. It is used metaphorically to describe someone or something that is completely unknown, unnoticed, or lacking any reputation. The phrase conveys a state of total obscurity or invisibility.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Book of Songs (诗经), specifically the 'Daya' section in the poem 'King Wen' (文王), a work from the Western Zhou dynasty (c. 11th century BCE). The original line describes the workings of Heaven as being beyond perception—without sound and without odor. Later scholars and writers adopted the phrase to describe people or things that remain entirely unnoticed and without fame.
💡 Example Usage
他在文坛上无声无臭地度过了大半辈子。
He spent most of his life in literary circles completely unknown and unnoticed.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 无声无臭
- Pinyin: wú shēng wú xiù
- Literal Translation: no, sound, no, odor
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4