一无所知
- Literal
- wholly without what one knows
- Figurative
- To know nothing whatsoever about something, not to have the faintest idea; usually 对……一无所知. Not to be confused with 一无所有, having nothing.
Where does 一无所知 come from?
It does not come from an anecdote: it follows the same classical mold as 一无所有. 一 means "wholly," 无 "to lack," and 所知, with the particle 所 turning the verb into a noun, "what one knows." Hence "there being nothing one knows": not having the faintest idea. Where 一无所有 is about what one owns, here what is missing is information or knowledge. It is usually built with 对 before the topic. It serves both to admit one's own ignorance modestly and to reproach someone for not knowing what they ought to have known.
How is 一无所知 used? Two examples
- 我对这个行业一无所知，一切都得从头学起。
I know nothing at all about this industry; I have to learn everything from the ground up.
- 孩子在学校出了事，我们做父母的却一无所知。
Something happened to our child at school, and we, his own parents, knew nothing about it.
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