不知所终

不知所終

bùzhī-suǒzhōng

idiom

Meanings

HSK 5

他辞职后离开了北京，从此不知所终。

Tā cízhí hòu líkāi le Běijīng, cóngcǐ bùzhī-suǒzhōng.

After resigning he left Beijing, and no one has heard from him since.

HSK 7-9

那位老隐士晚年云游四方，最后不知所终。

Nà wèi lǎo yǐnshì wǎnnián yúnyóu sìfāng, zuìhòu bùzhī-suǒzhōng.

In his later years the old hermit wandered everywhere, and in the end vanished without a trace.

history

From 《庄子·田子方》: 日夜无隙，而不知其所终 - used of the unknowable end of natural cycles. Later applied to people whose final whereabouts remain a mystery.

usage

Almost always describes an ending or disappearance, not an ongoing absence. Compare 下落不明 (xiàluò bùmíng), which is more neutral and journalistic.

不 bù

知 zhī

所 suǒ

终 zhōng