无孔不入 (wú kǒng bú rù) — (idiom, derogatory) to seize every opportunity; to be omnipresent (especially in negative contexts)

Definition

A derogatory chengyu meaning 'to get in through every crack' — used for things like corruption, spies, or ads that exploit every opening to spread. Almost always negative in tone.

idiom
(idiom, derogatory) to seize every opportunityto be omnipresent (especially in negative contexts)

Examples

  • 无孔不入，App。
    Zhè zhǒng guǎng gào zhēn shì wú kǒng bú rù, lián shǒu jī App shàng dōu néng kàn dào.
    This kind of advertisement is really everywhere—even on mobile apps.
  • 无孔不入，。
    Jiàn dié huó dòng wú kǒng bú rù, rèn hé bù mén dōu yào jǐng tì.
    Spy activities infiltrate every opening; every department must be vigilant.
  • 无孔不入，。
    Zhè zhǒng fǔ bài xíng wéi wú kǒng bú rù, bì xū yán lì dǎ jī.
    This kind of corrupt behavior seizes every opportunity; it must be severely cracked down on.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

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

  • 丿丿piěopening
  • 子子zǐchild

孔 pairs 丿 (an opening) with 子 (a child), showing an opening in a newborn's skull.

Open 孔 →

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 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

入 is drawn as an arrowhead, indicating 'to enter'.

Open 入 →

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