每天成语
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无影无踪

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: wú yǐng wú zōng
  • English Translation: To vanish without a trace / To disappear into thin air
  • Idiom Composition: 「无」（Without / Not having）＋「影」（Shadow / Image）＋「无」（Without / Not having）＋「踪」（Trace / Footprint）
  • Meaning: Leaving neither shadow nor footprint; describes the complete disappearance of people, objects, or even abstract feelings and states.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「无影无踪」 contains the following nuances:

  • Absolute Disappearance: The idiom emphasizes a thorough vanishing where not even a hint, shadow, or footprint remains, suggesting a total absence.
  • Broad Application: It is applicable to both physical entities (like people and objects) and abstract concepts (like fear, pain, or memories).

3. Usage

「无影无踪」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Disappearance of emotions or sensations: Used as a complement to describe how feelings like fatigue, worry, or pain completely vanish.
    • Example:「听到这个好消息，他几天的疲劳顿时消失得无影无踪。」
      （Upon hearing this good news, his fatigue from the past few days immediately vanished without a trace.)
  • Missing persons or objects: Describes a situation where a person or object cannot be found anywhere, or a culprit has escaped.
    • Example:「那个小偷跑得很快，一转眼就逃得无影无踪了。」
      （That thief ran very fast and vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye.)
  • Natural phenomena or physical dissipation: Describes clouds, mist, or smoke being scattered by the wind or objects disappearing in a magic trick.
    • Example:「太阳出来后，山间的晨雾散得无影无踪。」
      （After the sun came out, the morning mist in the mountains completely dissipated.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 魔术师手一挥，鸽子就不见得无影无踪了。
    （With a wave of the magician's hand, the pigeon disappeared without a trace.）
  2. 经过时间的冲刷，往日的恩怨早已消逝得无影无踪。
    （Washed away by the passage of time, the old grudges have long since vanished into thin air.）
  3. 他在人群中挤了几下，便消失得无影无踪。
    （He squeezed through the crowd a few times and soon disappeared without a trace.）
  4. 那种恐惧感来得快，去得也无影无踪。
    （That feeling of fear came quickly and vanished just as fast.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Origin: This expression can be found in Yuan Dynasty dramas such as Dongpo Meng (东坡梦). While it is an ancient phrase, it remains extremely common in both spoken and written modern Chinese.
  • Grammatical Function: It often acts as a complement of state, following verbs like 消失 (xiāo shī - to disappear), 逃 (táo - to escape), or 散 (sàn - to scatter), usually connected by the particle 得 (de).
  • Nuance: When used regarding negative things like criminals, worries, or stains, it often carries a positive nuance of relief. However, it can also be used in somber contexts, such as a loved one leaving or a memory fading.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

无影无踪 (wú yǐng wú zōng) is a versatile idiom used to describe something or someone vanishing completely. It is not limited to physical objects; it is frequently used for psychological shifts, such as fatigue or worries 'melting away.' It is most commonly used in the grammatical structure 消失得无影无踪 (xiāo shī de wú yǐng wú zōng), meaning 'disappeared without a trace.'

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Level 2

Idiom Essay

wú yǐng wú zōng
无影无踪
Vanishing Without a Trace
yǒu xiē有些xiāo shī消失，shì是màn màn慢慢fā shēng发生de的。

Some disappearances happen slowly.

bǐ rú比如xī yáng夕阳yì diǎn diǎn一点点xià shān下山，huò zhě或者bīng kuài冰块màn màn慢慢róng huà融化。

Like the sunset gradually dipping below the horizon, or an ice cube slowly melting.

dàn但hái还yǒu有yī zhǒng一种xiāo shī消失，fēi cháng非常chè dǐ彻底，yě也fēi cháng非常gān jìng干净。

But there is another kind of disappearance that is very thorough and very clean.

jiù就xiàng像yī zhèn一阵fēng风chuī吹guò过，yān wù烟雾shùn jiān瞬间sàn kāi散开，shén me什么dōu都méi没shèng xià剩下。

Like a gust of wind blowing through, smoke dispersing instantly, leaving nothing behind.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个chéng yǔ成语zhuān mén专门xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种zhuàng tài状态，jiào叫“wú yǐng wú zōng无影无踪”。

In Chinese, there is an idiom specifically used to describe this state, called 无影无踪.

zhè ge这个cí词de的huà miàn画面gǎn感hěn很qiáng强。

This word has a very strong sense of imagery.

“wú无”，jiù shì就是méi yǒu没有；“yǐng影”，shì是yǐng zi影子；“zōng踪”，shì是zōng jì踪迹、jiǎo yìn脚印。

无 means none; 影 means shadow; 踪 means trace or footprint.

lián连yǐng zi影子hé和jiǎo yìn脚印dōu都zhǎo bú dào找不到，shuō míng说明tā它xiāo shī消失dé得chè chè dǐ dǐ彻彻底底，jiù就xiàng像cóng lái méi yǒu从来没有cún zài存在guò过yī yàng一样。

When even the shadow and footprints cannot be found, it shows that it has disappeared completely, as if it never existed.

wǒ men我们shén me shí hòu什么时候huì会yòng用dào到tā它ne呢？

When do we use it?

dāng rán当然，nǐ你kě yǐ可以yòng用tā它lái来xíng róng形容yí gè一个pǎo跑dé得hěn很kuài快de的rén人，huò zhě或者mó shù shī魔术师shǒu手zhōng中tū rán突然bú jiàn不见de的yìng bì硬币。

Of course, you can use it to describe a person who runs very fast, or a coin that suddenly disappears from a magician's hand.

dàn但zài在shēng huó生活zhōng中，zhè ge这个cí词zuì最mí rén迷人de的dì fāng地方，qí shí其实shì是yòng lái用来xíng róng形容nà xiē那些“kàn bú jiàn看不见de的dōng xī东西”。

But in life, the most charming part of this word is actually using it to describe those "invisible things."

shì zhe试着xiǎng xiàng想象yī xià一下：nǐ你jīng lì经历le了yī zhěng tiān一整天de的gōng zuò工作，jué de觉得lèi累jí le极了，xīn lǐ心里shèn zhì甚至hái yǒu还有yì diǎn一点fán zào烦躁。

Try to imagine: you have gone through a whole day of work, feeling exhausted and even a bit irritable.

zhè shí hòu这时候，nǐ你tuī kāi推开jiā mén家门，wén dào闻到le了chú fáng厨房lǐ里piāo lái飘来de的fàn cài饭菜xiāng香，huò zhě或者shì是tīng dào听到le了yī shǒu一首nǐ你zuì最xǐ huān喜欢de的gē歌。

At this moment, you push open the door to your home and smell the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen, or hear one of your favorite songs.

jiù就zài在nà那yī shùn jiān一瞬间，yuán běn原本yā压zài在xīn lǐ心里de的chén zhòng gǎn沉重感，hǎo xiàng好像tū rán突然zhēng fā蒸发le了yī yàng一样。

In that instant, the heavy feeling that was weighing on your heart seems to evaporate suddenly.

zhè shí hòu这时候，wǒ men我们jiù就huì会shuō说：suǒ yǒu所有de的pí bèi疲惫，dōu都xiāo shī消失dé得wú yǐng wú zōng无影无踪。

At this time, we would say: all the fatigue has disappeared 无影无踪.

qǐng请zhù yì注意，zhè lǐ这里yòng用“wú yǐng wú zōng无影无踪”，bù不jǐn jǐn仅仅shì是shuō说pí bèi疲惫“bú jiàn le不见了”。

Please note that using 无影无踪 here is not just saying the fatigue is "gone."

tā它qiáng diào强调de的shì是yī zhǒng一种fǎn chà反差——qián前yī miǎo一秒tā它hái还zài在nà lǐ那里kùn rǎo困扰zhe着nǐ你，xià下yī miǎo一秒，tā它jiù就zǒu走dé得gān gān jìng jìng干干净净。

It emphasizes a contrast—one second it was there troubling you, and the next second, it is completely gone.

tā它bù不xiàng像shì是zài在shuō说“màn màn慢慢biàn shǎo变少”，ér shì而是zài在qiáng diào强调yī zhǒng一种“chè dǐ彻底de的jiě tuō解脱”。

It is not like saying "slowly decreasing," but rather emphasizing a kind of "complete liberation."

shì jiè世界shàng上de的hěn很duō多shì qíng事情dōu都huì会liú xià留下hén jì痕迹，dàn但“wú yǐng wú zōng无影无踪”gěi给le了wǒ men我们yī zhǒng一种měi hǎo美好de的xiǎng xiàng想象：yǒu xiē有些dōng xī东西，shì是kě yǐ可以wán quán完全qīng líng清零de的。

Many things in the world leave traces, but 无影无踪 gives us a beautiful imagination: some things can be completely reset to zero.

xià cì下次，dāng当nǐ你gǎn jué dào感觉到mǒu zhǒng某种chén zhòng沉重de的qíng xù情绪tū rán突然lí kāi离开shēn tǐ身体，zhěng gè整个rén人biàn dé变得qīng sōng轻松shí时，nǐ你jiù就kě yǐ可以yòng用zhè ge这个cí词。

Next time, when you feel a certain heavy emotion suddenly leave your body and your whole being becomes relaxed, you can use this word.

nà那yī kè一刻，fán nǎo烦恼shì是zhēn de真的zǒu走le了，lián连yǐng zi影子dōu都méi yǒu没有liú xià留下。

At that moment, the worries are truly gone, without even leaving a shadow behind.

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