心照不宣 (xīn zhào bù xuān) — (idiom) have a tacit understanding; mutual awareness without words
Definition
A four-character idiom (chengyu) for an unspoken mutual understanding — both sides know, but nobody says it aloud. Pairs naturally with 默契 ('tacit rapport'); use 心照不宣 when the unspoken agreement is the focus.
idiom
have a tacit understandingmutual awareness without words
Examples
- ，心照不宣。Tā men liǎ duì shì yí xiào, xīn zhào bù xuān.The two of them exchanged a smile, understanding each other without words.
- 心照不宣。Wǒ men zhī jiān yǒu yì zhǒng xīn zhào bù xuān de mò qì.There is a kind of unspoken understanding between us.
- 心照不宣，。Zhè jiàn shì dà jiā xīn zhào bù xuān jiù hǎo, bié tiǎo míng le shuō.On this matter, let's all just have a tacit understanding and not make it explicit.
Appears in
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