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可想而知

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

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: kě xiǎng ér zhī
  • English Translation: One can well imagine (it is obvious)
  • Idiom Composition: 「可」（can or able to）＋「想」（to imagine or think）＋「而」（and then (conjunction connecting the action to the result)）＋「知」（to know or understand）
  • Meaning: A phrase used to indicate that a situation or result is obvious and can be easily inferred from the context or known facts without further explanation.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「可想而知」 contains the following nuances:

  • Logical Deduction: This idiom is used when there is a clear cause-and-effect relationship. It implies a deduction based on logic and evidence rather than a mere guess.
  • Negative Connotations: While it can be used in neutral contexts, it is most frequently employed to emphasize negative or difficult situations, such as failure, hardship, or chaos.

3. Usage

「可想而知」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Self-evident results: Used when a specific action or condition leads to a result that is clear to everyone.
    • Example:「如果不提前做好准备，到了现场会多么混乱，那是可想而知的。」
      （If you don't prepare in advance, how chaotic it will be when you arrive is easy to imagine.）
  • Inferring emotions: Used to express that one can understand someone else's feelings (joy, sorrow, anxiety) based on their situation.
    • Example:「他在异国他乡丢失了护照和钱包，当时的焦急心情可想而知。」
      （He lost his passport and wallet in a foreign country; his anxiety at that time was easy to imagine.）
  • Emphasizing difficulty: Used to stress how grueling or difficult a process is without needing to describe every detail.
    • Example:「要在这么短的时间内完成如此巨大的工程，其中的困难是可想而知的。」
      （To complete such a massive project in such a short time, the difficulty involved is obvious.）

Additional Examples:

  1. 父母为了供他上大学省吃俭用，其中的艰辛可想而知。
    （His parents lived frugally to send him to university; the hardships they endured are easy to imagine.）
  2. 一旦发生火灾，后果将不堪设想，其严重性可想而知。
    （Once a fire breaks out, the consequences will be unthinkable, and its severity is self-evident.）
  3. 他既没有经验也没有资金，创业失败的结局是可想而知的。
    （He had neither experience nor capital, so the outcome of his business failure was to be expected.）
  4. 当时的医疗条件非常落后，治愈这种病的难度可想而知。
    （Medical conditions at that time were very backward, so the difficulty of curing this disease is easy to imagine.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Grammatical Structure: The phrase is a serial verb construction consisting of 可想 (kě xiǎng, 'can imagine') + 而 (ér, 'and') + 知 (zhī, 'know'). In modern Chinese, it is very common to end a sentence with '...是可想而知的' (...shì kě xiǎng ér zhī de) or simply '...可想而知'.
  • Register: This is a versatile expression used in everything from daily conversation to formal news reports and academic essays. It adds a sense of logical weight to an argument.
  • Historical Origin: The phrase appears in the Book of Miscellaneous Notes (野客丛书 / Yě Kè Cóng Shū) by the Song Dynasty (宋朝) scholar Wang Mao (王楙). It was used in a context describing an official who neglected his duties and had his salary reduced, noting that his resulting misery was 'easy to imagine.'

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

可想而知 (kě xiǎng ér zhī) is a common idiom used to emphasize that a conclusion is self-evident. It is often used to highlight the severity of a situation, the difficulty of a task, or the natural outcome of a series of events. In English, it functions similarly to phrases like 'it's easy to imagine' or 'it goes without saying.'

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