📖 Meaning
To divulge heavenly secrets or mysterious cosmic plans that were never meant to be known by mortals. By extension, it refers to accidentally or deliberately revealing highly confidential information or insider secrets that should have remained hidden.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from traditional Chinese Daoist and folk religious beliefs, where '天机' (tiān jī) referred to the hidden workings and plans of Heaven — the inscrutable cosmic order. In Daoist thought, certain truths about fate and destiny were considered sacred and not to be revealed to ordinary people. The phrase gained popularity during the Ming and Qing dynasties through vernacular novels such as 'Water Margin' and 'Dream of the Red Chamber', where characters would warn each other not to 'leak heaven's secrets'. There is no single definitive source text, as the concept was already widespread in folk culture by the time it appeared in written literature.
💡 Example Usage
他酒后失言，无意中泄漏天机。
He spoke carelessly after drinking and accidentally revealed the closely guarded secret.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 泄漏天机
- Pinyin: xiè lòu tiān jī
- Literal Translation: leak, reveal, heaven, secret
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4