孤陋寡闻

• ピンイン: gū lòu guǎ wén
• 漢字の分解: 孤 = child alone (lacking connection to the wider world); 陋 = 阝 (enclosed place) + 丙 (humble rank) — a narrow, cramped dwelling, hence limited; 寡 = 宀 (roof) + 頁 (head) — few, without companions; 闻 = 门 (gate) + 耳 (ear) — what reaches one's ears through the gate of the world

意味

見聞が狭い／無知である

A four-character chengyu with a self-deprecating or mildly critical connotation. Often used in the first person as a polite expression of humility (谦辞): 本人孤陋寡闻 (I am of limited knowledge). When applied to others, it implies that someone has not broadened their horizons or kept up with current knowledge. Rooted in the Confucian tradition of emphasising broad, integrated learning.

例文

1. 他坦承自己在这一领域孤陋寡闻，向在场的专家们虚心请教，展现了难得的谦逊。
2. 如果只读一家之言、不广泛涉猎，长此以往必然导致孤陋寡闻，难以形成全面的判断。
3. 在全球化的今天，闭门造车、孤陋寡闻已经难以适应快速变化的国际环境。

使い方ガイド

場面: self-deprecation, academic, social commentary, Confucian learning

トーン: humble

正しい言い方

• 本人孤陋寡闻，对您所提到的这位学者的研究尚不熟悉，还望您不吝赐教。(I am of limited knowledge and am not yet familiar with the research of the scholar you mentioned; I sincerely hope you will kindly enlighten me.)
• 长期脱离社会实践的学者，往往容易在某些现实问题上显得孤陋寡闻，缺乏应有的判断力。(Scholars who have long been disconnected from social practice are often prone to appearing uninformed on certain practical matters, lacking sound judgment.)

避ける言い方

• 将'孤陋寡闻'用于褒义语境 — the idiom describes a shortcoming and cannot carry positive meaning; to praise someone for deep focus on their own field use 术业专攻 instead

起源と歴史

孤 (alone; isolated) + 陋 (shallow; crude; limited) + 寡 (few; meagre) + 闻 (what one has heard; knowledge). Together: isolated and shallow in what one has heard — limited and uninformed.

文化的背景

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Educated speakers