Chinese word

灵通

Pronunciation

Pinyinlíng tōng

Meaning

adjectivewell-informed

Example

他消息灵通，总是先知道很多事。tā xiāo xī líng tōng zǒng shì xiān zhī dào hěn duō shì

He is well-informed and is always among the first to know about many things.

More examples

在那个行业，他消息灵通，往往最先掌握动向。zài nà ge háng yè tā xiāo xī líng tōng wáng wǎng zuì xiān zhǎng wò dòng xiàng

In that industry, he is in the know and is often the first to know what is going on.

Core concept

News passes quickly through a network, reaching a connected person or channel before it reaches most people.

Common phrases

消息灵通xiāo xī líng tōng
in the know about the news
消息灵通的人xiāo xī líng tōng de rén
person in the know

Similar words

精通jīng tōng: Having deep knowledge and strong skills in a particular field.
熟悉shú xī: Knowing a person, place, subject, or procedure well through familiarity and experience.
内行nèi háng: Having rich practical experience and expert knowledge in a job or field.
通晓tōng xiǎo: Having broad knowledge and a clear understanding of many things.

Definition in Chinese

形容通过关系网或特定渠道比普通人更早获悉消息、信息通路畅通的人或渠道。xíng róng tōng guò guān xì wǎng huò tè dìng qú dào bǐ pǔ tōng rén gèng zǎo huò xī xiāo xī xìn xī tōng lù chàng tōng de rén huò qú dào

Word origin

灵 (líng, "quick and responsive") + 通 (tōng, "to pass through") presents information as moving readily through a person or channel, which gives the compound its sense of early access to news.

Usage tips

In everyday conversation, the word can comment on a person's useful connections, so it often carries a social-network nuance in workplace and community talk.

Other meanings

person in the knownoun

Opposites

闭塞bì sèuninformedadjective