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不得而知

bù dé ér zhī
HSK 3.0 Level 7 Rare

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Definitions

  1. 1. unknown
  2. 2. unable to find out

Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item
众所周知
zhòng suǒ zhōu zhī

as everyone knows (idiom)

众人皆知 vs. 无法得知

Synonyms

1 item
未知
wèi zhī

unknown

表示情况不明

Usage notes

Collocations

常与“尚”“仍”等副词连用，如“仍不得而知”。

Formality

多用于书面语或正式场合，口语中较少使用。

Example Sentences

1 shown
他的真实身份仍 不得而知 。
His true identity remains unknown.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 不得而知

不
bù

no; not so

得
dé

to obtain

得
de

structural particle: used after a verb (or adjective as main verb), linking it to following phrase indicating effect, degree, possibility etc

得
děi

to have to

而
ér

and

不得
bù dé

must not

知
zhī

to know