無中生有
Chinese
| not have | middle; centre; within middle; centre; within; among; in; while (doing sth); during; China; Chinese; hit (the mark) |
to be born; to give birth; life to be born; to give birth; life; to grow; student; raw |
to have; there is; there are to have; there is; there are; to exist; to be | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (無中生有) | 無 | 中 | 生 | 有 | |
| simp. (无中生有) | 无 | 中 | 生 | 有 | |
Etymology
From Chapter 40 of Tao Te Ching:
- 天下萬物生於有，有生於無。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: Tao Te Ching, 4th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Tiānxià wànwù shēng yú yǒu, yǒu shēng yú wú. [Pinyin]
- All things under heaven sprang from It as existing (and named); that existence sprang from It as non-existent (and not named).
天下万物生于有，有生于无。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
Idiom
無中生有
- (Taoism) all existence sprang from nonexistence
- to fabricate; to make up unfounded rumor; to trump up
- out of thin air
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