不知其姓名

bùzhīqíxìngmíng

phrase

Meanings

1 his name was unknown
2 classical narrative aside — used to introduce a figure whose name the writer (or history) has lost

Characters

his / her (classical)

Examples

先生不知何许人也，亦不知其姓名。

Xiānsheng bùzhī héxǔ rén yě, yì bùzhī qí xìngmíng.

The gentleman — no one knew where he came from, nor his name.

当地有位老铁匠，不知其姓名，只知手艺极好。

Dāngdì yǒu wèi lǎo tiějiàng, bùzhī qí xìngmíng, zhǐ zhī shǒuyì jí hǎo.

There was an old blacksmith locally — no one knew his name, only that his craft was superb.

Tips

history

From 《五柳先生传》 by 陶渊明 (Tao Yuanming, Eastern Jin): '先生不知何许人也，亦不知其姓名。' A self-portrait thinly veiled as a biography of a nameless recluse — widely taught as the blueprint for zen-hermit autobiography.

usage

其 (qí) = 'his / her / its' in classical Chinese. Modern equivalent would be 他的 / 她的 / 它的.

Stroke Order

不 bù

知 zhī

其 qí

姓 xìng

名 míng