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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.
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