📖 Meaning
One's knowledge and wisdom extend to all things in the world. The idiom describes a person of profound, encyclopedic learning who understands everything under heaven. It conveys the Confucian ideal of comprehensive wisdom that leaves nothing unknown.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the "Xici" (Appended Remarks) chapter of the "Zhou Yi" (Book of Changes), one of the most ancient Chinese classics, compiled during the Zhou dynasty. The original passage reads "知周乎万物而道济天下" — "His knowledge encompasses all things, and his Way brings aid to all under heaven." The text portrays the sage's wisdom as so vast that nothing in the world lies beyond his understanding, while also emphasizing the moral obligation to use that knowledge to benefit all people. Over time, the phrase "智周万物" was extracted as a standalone idiom praising supreme erudition.
💡 Example Usage
这位学者智周万物，被公认为当代最博学的思想家之一。
This scholar, whose wisdom encompasses all things, is widely regarded as one of the most erudite thinkers of our time.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 智周万物
- Pinyin: zhì zhōu wàn wù
- Literal Translation: wisdom, encompasses, ten thousand, things
- Category: Knowledge
- Characters: 4