素不相识

• Pinyin: sù bù xiāng shí
• Hanzi breakdown: 素 = plain, from the beginning (adverbial); 不 = not; 相 = 木 + 目 (mutually); 识 = 讠+ 只 (to know, to recognise)

Meaning

To have never met or known each other before; complete strangers with no prior acquaintance or connection whatsoever.

A set phrase often used to highlight the unexpected or moving nature of help received from strangers, or to underscore that a meaningful connection formed without any prior relationship. Common in narratives about chance encounters, selfless acts, and surprising alliances. Carries a slightly formal, literary register and is often used to heighten the emotional or rhetorical impact of a story.

Examples

1. 两人原本素不相识，却在一场暴风雪中被困于同一山间小屋，意外结下了一段超越普通友谊的深厚情谊。 The two were complete strangers, yet after being trapped together in a mountain cabin during a blizzard, they unexpectedly formed a deep bond that went beyond ordinary friendship.
2. 令她深感意外的是，那位出手相助的陌生人与她素不相识，却愿意在她最困难的时候提供毫无保留的无私帮助。 To her surprise, the stranger who stepped in to help had never met her before, yet was willing to offer selfless help without holding anything back when she was at her lowest.
3. 这场突如其来的灾难让无数素不相识的普通人走到了一起，彼此守望相助，共同撑过了那段最黑暗的艰难岁月。 This sudden disaster brought together countless ordinary people who had never known each other, and they looked out for one another and made it through the darkest, hardest years together.

Usage Guide

Context: literary, narrative, social, emotional

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 尽管两人素不相识，但这位医生毫不犹豫地为突发晕厥的旅客实施了急救，展现了超越利益计算的医者仁心与职业精神。(Although the two were complete strangers, the doctor didn't hesitate to administer first aid to the traveller who had suddenly collapsed — a display of selfless medical professionalism that transcended any calculation of self-interest.)
• 这段传奇般的商业合作始于一次偶然的航班延误，当时两人还是素不相识的陌生人，却在交谈中发现了完全一致的创业理想与人生愿景。(This legendary business partnership began with an accidental flight delay, when the two were complete strangers who, in the course of conversation, discovered entirely aligned entrepreneurial ideals and life visions.)

Don't Say

• 素不相识 专指完全没有任何交集的陌生人，不要用于有过哪怕一次接触的人 — 不说'我们素不相识，但上周见过一面'，那应说'我们只见过一面'

Origin & History

素 (from the beginning, always) + 不 (not) + 相识 (to know each other) — to have never known each other from the outset

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal