一无所知

• Pinyin: yī wú suǒ zhī
• Hanzi breakdown: 一 = completely (intensifier); 无 = negation, absence; 所 = nominaliser ('that which'); 知 = 矢 + 口 (arrow + mouth — to know accurately, like an arrow hitting its mark)

Meaning

Knowing nothing at all; completely ignorant; having not the faintest idea. Describes a total absence of knowledge or awareness about something.

Often used in: 对某事一无所知 (completely ignorant of something), describing a newcomer unfamiliar with an environment, or someone deliberately kept in the dark. Implies a starting-from-zero state of ignorance — not just incomplete knowledge but none at all. Contrast 了如指掌 (knowing something like the back of one's hand).

Examples

1. 事故发生时，大多数员工对公司潜在的安全隐患一无所知，危机管理的透明度不足令调查人员震惊。 When the accident happened, most employees knew nothing about the company’s potential safety hazards, and investigators were shocked by the lack of transparency in crisis management.
2. 她被空降到这个岗位，对行业背景一无所知，硬是靠着每天十小时的自学在三个月内追上了团队进度。 She was parachuted into the position knowing nothing about the industry, but through ten hours of self-study a day she caught up with the team in three months.
3. 受害者对自己即将面对的法律程序一无所知，社工为其安排了专业律师提供免费的法律援助。 The victim knew nothing about the legal process she was about to face, so the social worker arranged for a lawyer to provide free legal aid.

Usage Guide

Context: narrative, education, legal, journalism

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 当侦查人员发现这名嫌疑人对案发当晚的关键细节一无所知时，意识到此人极有可能只是被人利用的工具，并非真正的主谋。(When investigators found that this suspect had no knowledge whatsoever of key details from the night of the incident, they realised the person was most likely a tool exploited by others, not the true mastermind.)
• 新入职的分析师对该行业的监管框架一无所知，部门主管指派了一名资深同事专门陪同其参加监管机构的情况通报会。(The newly hired analyst had no knowledge at all of the industry's regulatory framework; the department head assigned a senior colleague to accompany them specifically to the regulatory briefing sessions.)

Don't Say

• 他对这件事一无所知道 — 一无所知 already functions as a complete predicate; adding 道 is redundant and grammatically incorrect; use 一无所知 alone

Origin & History

一 (completely — intensifier) + 无 (none/without) + 所 (nominaliser, 'that which') + 知 (know/knowledge — 矢 arrow + 口 mouth; to know with the precision of an arrow finding its mark)

Cultural Context

Era: Classical/Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal