Chinese word

变幻莫测

Pronunciation

Pinyinbiàn huàn mò cè

Meaning

  • idiomunpredictable

Example

最近的天气变幻莫测，带伞吧。zuì jìn de tiān qì biàn huàn mò cè dài sǎn ba

The weather has been unpredictable lately, so bring an umbrella.

Illustration for 变幻莫测 (unpredictable)

More examples

演出现场的氛围变幻莫测，观众情绪波动很大。yǎn chū xiàn chǎng de fēn wéi biàn huàn mò cè guān zhòng qíng xù bō dòng hěn dà

The atmosphere at the show was unpredictable, and the audience's emotions fluctuated greatly.

Core concept

A pattern that keeps taking new forms, so its next direction cannot be read in advance.

Common phrases

  • 市场变幻莫测shì chǎng biàn huàn mò cè

    unpredictable market

  • 变幻莫测的局面biàn huàn mò cè de jú miàn

    unpredictable situation

Similar words

变幻无常biàn huàn wú cháng: A situation that changes again and again, making its future course hard to predict.
捉摸不定zhuō mō bú dìng: An unclear course or attitude whose next movement or result remains unsettled.
变化多端biàn huà duō duān: Frequent changes in many different forms or directions over a short time.

Definition in Chinese

形容变化多端、难以预测的状态或事物。xíng róng biàn huà duō duān nán yǐ yù cè de zhuàng tài huò shì wù

Word origin

变幻莫测 (biànhuànmòcè, "unpredictable change") joins 变 (biàn, "change") + 幻 (huàn, "illusion") for shifting appearances with 莫 (mò, "not") + 测 (cè, "measure") for something beyond measurement.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this idiom often describes weather, situations, or moods, while a simpler phrase is usually more natural in very casual speech.

Other meanings

  • changeableidiom
  • hard to pin downidiom

Opposites

  • 稳如泰山wěn rú tài shānrock-solididiom

Word lists with this word