一无所有
- Literal
- wholly without what one possesses
- Figurative
- To have nothing at all, with no possessions or means; said of someone starting from zero or who has lost everything (knowing nothing is 一无所知).
Where does 一无所有 come from?
It does not come from a specific anecdote: it is a classical-grammar mold that has passed into everyday speech. Here 一 is not a number but means "wholly"; 无 is "to lack," and 所有, with the particle 所 turning the verb into a noun, is "what one possesses." Together: to have nothing whatsoever. It shares its mold with 一无所知, but one is about belongings and the other about knowledge. In 1986 it gave its title to a Cui Jian song regarded as a founding moment of Chinese rock, and today it is used both for material poverty and for someone starting from scratch.
How is 一无所有 used? Two examples
- 他年轻时一无所有，现在的一切都是自己打拼出来的。
When he was young he had nothing; everything he owns today he built up through his own hard work.
- 一场大火把他的店烧光了，他一下子变得一无所有。
A fire burned his shop to the ground, and overnight he was left with nothing.
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