源etymfun
About

Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

Explanations are written by a local model (gemma4) and only published after a verification pass against the cited sources. How it works.

Chinese

無中生有

/u³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
all existence sprang from nonexistence
  • 无中生有
Post Share

Etymology graph

  • inherited
  • borrowed
  • derived
  • parts
  • meaning component
  • sound component
  • related
React Flow
Press enter or space to select a node. You can then use the arrow keys to move the node around. Press delete to remove it and escape to cancel.
Press enter or space to select an edge. You can then press delete to remove it or escape to cancel.

點擊節點放大 · Click a node to zoom in

Origin

The phrase 無中生有 originates from Chapter 40 of the Tao Te Ching. It describes the act of creating something new where nothing previously existed, or fabricating something that has no basis in reality.

The phrase is formed by four characters. 無 means to not have, there is not, or does not exist; 中 means middle or center; 生 means to live, to subsist, or to exist; and 有 means to have or to possess. The character 生 contains the components 屮 (new birth of plant) and 一 (one). The character 有 consists of the semantic components 肉 (meat; flesh) and 月 (moon), alongside the phonetic component 又 (again; once more).

Confidence: high · written by gemma4:26b, checked statement-by-statement against the sources below.

無中生有由四個漢字組成。其中「無」意為沒有、不存在；「中」指中間或中心；「生」意為生存、存在或生活，其字形包含「屮」（植物新生的樣子）與「一」兩個部件；「有」則表示擁有或持有，其字形包含代表意義的「肉」與「月」，並含有表示聲音的部件「又。

此詞語源自《老子》第四十章。它描述了原本沒有其事，卻憑空捏造出謠言或事物，如同從虛無之中產生了存在。

Confidence: high · written by gemma4:26b, checked statement-by-statement against the sources below.

Lineage

  • characterChinese無 “to not have; there is not; there does not exist”
  • characterChinese中 “middle; center”
  • characterChinese生 “to live; to subsist; to exist”
    • ideaChinese屮 “new birth of plant”
    • ideaChinese一 “one”
  • characterChinese有 “to have; to possess (when a subject is present)”
    • soundChinese又 “again; once more”
    • meaningChinese肉 “meat; flesh”
    • meaningChinese月 “moon (Classifier: 輪／轮 m)”
Wiktionary etymology text

From Chapter 40 of Tao Te Ching

From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Meanings

phrase
  1. all existence sprang from nonexistence
  2. to fabricate; to make up unfounded rumor; to trump up
  3. out of thin air

國語辭典 definitions

  1. 指本無其事而憑空假造。語本《老子．第四○章》。 例：有一分證據說一分話，可別無中生有，捏造事實。
  2. 原無其物而創造出新的物品。 例：現代科技昌明，許多事物都從無中生有而來，使人類生活更多采多姿。

© Ministry of Education, Taiwan — CC BY-ND 3.0 TW, shown unaltered.

Sources

  • etymagent (local gemma4:26b) — Generated
  • 教育部《國語辭典簡編本》 (Taiwan MOE) — CC BY-ND 3.0 TW
  • Written form — n/a
  • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Wiktionary: 無中生有