HSK · Level 6
133 words
Chinese word
谁知道
Pronunciation
Pinyinshuí zhī dào
Meaning
- interjectionwho knows
Example
谁知道，也许明天会下雨。shuí zhī dào yé xǔ míng tiān huì xià yǔ
Who knows, maybe it will rain tomorrow.
More examples
他会来吗，谁知道呢。tā huì lái ma shuí zhī dào ne
Who knows if he will come.
Core concept
A compact signal that the facts are unavailable, whether because nobody knows or because finding out is difficult.
Common phrases
谁知道呢shuí zhī dào ne
Who knows
谁知道会不会shuí zhī dào huì bú huì
who knows whether it will
Similar words
谁知道呢shuí zhī dào ne: Gently replies that nobody knows the answer, with a soft conversational tone.
天知道tiān zhī dào: Emphatically exclaims that nobody knows the answer.
哪知道nǎ zhī dào: Responds defensively to an unexpected fact by saying that the speaker did not know.
Definition in Chinese
用来表示认为没有人能知道或难以获悉，通常独立成句，语气可冷淡或轻松。yòng lái biǎo shì rèn wéi méi yǒu rén néng zhī dào huò nán yǐ huò xī tōng cháng dú lì chéng jù yǔ qì kě lěng dàn huò qīng sōng
Word origin
谁 (shuí, "who") + 知道 (zhīdào, "know") forms a question about the person with knowledge, which commonly settles into a casual way to say that nobody knows.
Usage tips
- Native English speakers may hear the phrase as a firm refusal, but in everyday Chinese it can also sound light and playful when the speaker is simply admitting uncertainty.
Other meanings
- nobody knowsinterjection