Chinese word

无中生有

Pronunciation

Pinyinwú zhōng shēng yǒu

Meaning

  • idiomfabricate

Example

不要无中生有地造谣。bú yào wú zhōng shēng yǒu dì zào yáo

Don't fabricate rumors.

Illustration for 无中生有 (fabricate)

More examples

不要相信那些无中生有的说法。bú yào xiāng xìn nà xiē wú zhōng shēng yǒu de shuō fǎ

Don't believe those fabricated claims.

Core concept

An empty starting point is turned into a supposed fact.

Common phrases

  • 无中生有地造谣wú zhōng shēng yǒu dì zào yáo

    fabricate rumors

  • 无中生有的谣言wú zhōng shēng yǒu de yáo yán

    fabricated rumors

Similar words

凭空捏造píng kōng niē zào: Inventing facts or evidence without any basis or proof.
造谣生事zào yáo shēng shì: Making up rumors to cause trouble, unrest, or confusion.
无稽之谈wú jī zhī tán: An unfounded story or claim that deserves no belief.
捕风捉影bǔ fēng zhuō yǐng: Passing on suspicious information without checking whether it is true.

Definition in Chinese

通常用来指责他人凭空编造事实，带有贬义，也可表示无根据地虚构某事。tōng cháng yòng lái zhǐ zé tā rén píng kōng biān zào shì shí dài yǒu biǎn yì yě kě biǎo shì wú gēn jù dì xū gòu mǒu shì

Word origin

无 (wú, "nothing") + 中 (zhōng, "within") + 生 (shēng, "create") + 有 (yǒu, "something") pictures inventing a supposed fact from nothing.

Usage tips

  • Because it directly blames the other person, this expression can make a disagreement sound like an accusation rather than a simple correction.

Other meanings

  • invent from nothingidiom

Opposites

  • 有根有据yǒu gēn yǒu jùwell-foundedidiom

Word lists with this word