殊不知 (shū bù zhī) — little does one know; hardly realize (introduces a contrast with a mistaken assumption)

Definition

A set phrase meaning 'little does one know' — used to introduce a contrast with a mistaken assumption. Common in written Chinese to signal a surprising fact the speaker/writer assumes the reader has overlooked.

verb
little does one knowhardly realize (introduces a contrast with a mistaken assumption)

Examples

  • ，殊不知。
    Hěn duō rén yǐ wéi chéng gōng hěn róng yì, shū bù zhī bèi hòu fù chū le duō shǎo nǔ lì.
    Many people think success is easy, little do they know how much effort goes into it.
  • ，殊不知。
    Tā biǎo miàn shàng hěn qīng sōng, shū bù zhī nèi xīn fēi cháng jiāo lǜ.
    He appears relaxed on the surface, hardly realizing how anxious he is inside.
  • 殊不知，。
    shū bù zhī, Zhè ge kàn sì jiǎn dān de wèn tí qí shí hěn fù zá.
    Little does one know, this seemingly simple question is actually very complex.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
歺Written in full as歹dǎi
Sound part声符shēngfú
朱
朱zhū殊shū
Same sound today

The left part of 殊 is 歹, the meaning part; the right part is 朱, the sound part.

Open 殊 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

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Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

An early form of 知 showed 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to a child to pass on knowledge. The 子 part was dropped, and the 大 part changed shape.

Open 知 →

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