Wanyu · 万语 Español

家jiā喻yù户hù晓xiǎo

Literal
understood in every family, known in every household
Figurative
So well known there is not a household that hasn't heard of it: a person, a story, or a brand that everybody recognizes.

Where does 家喻户晓 come from?

It does not come from a particular story: it is a formula built on parallelism, with two pairs that say much the same thing — 家 ("family") with 喻 ("to grasp") and 户 ("household") with 晓 ("to know"). The doubling is what conveys that the news has reached every last corner. It tends to go with names, works, and characters, and it carries a note of admiration, though it works just as well for things that are famous without deserving it.

How is 家喻户晓 used? Two examples

  • 这zhè个ge牌pái子zi在zài国guó内nèi家jiā喻yù户hù晓xiǎo,但dàn在zài国guó外wài没méi什shén么me人rén知zhī道dào。

    This brand is a household name back home, but hardly anyone abroad has heard of it.

  • 他tā因yīn为wèi那nà部bù电diàn视shì剧jù一yī夜yè之zhī间jiān家jiā喻yù户hù晓xiǎo。

    That TV series made him a household name overnight.

In Wanyu, all 400 chengyu have audio on every sentence, and you can save them to your decks and review them with spaced repetition. Free.

Download on the App Store