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素不相识 (sù bù xiāng shí) — to be total strangers (idiom); to have never met before

Definition

A formal idiom meaning 'total strangers, never having met.' Stronger than 认识 (which just means 'to know/recognize') — it emphasizes no prior contact at all.

phrase
to be total strangers (idiom)to have never met before

Examples

  • 素不相识，。
    Tā men sù bù xiāng shí, què chéng le zuì hǎo de péng you.
    They were total strangers, but became best friends.
  • 素不相识，。
    sù bù xiāng shí De liǎng gè rén, jìng rán yǒu gòng tóng de ài hào.
    Two total strangers actually share the same hobby.
  • 素不相识，。
    Suī rán wǒ men sù bù xiāng shí, dàn nǐ de gù shi ràng wǒ hěn gǎn dòng.
    Although we are complete strangers, your story really moved me.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 素 came from a picture of hands braiding thread.

Open 素 →

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.

Open 不 →

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

In 相, 目 is an eye and 木 is a tree, showing an eye looking at a tree; this originally meant “to observe.”

Open 相 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 識; 识 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánsay
Sound part声符shēngfú
戠
戠zhí識zhì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 識 pairs 言 (say) with 戠 as a sound part; the simplified 识 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 识 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Friends & SocialIdioms & Set Phrases

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.