不知所终

不知所終

bùzhīsuǒzhōng

idiom

Meanings

Tā cízhí hòu líkāi le Běijīng, cóngcǐ bùzhīsuǒzhōng.

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

Nà wèi lǎo yǐnshì wǎnnián yúnyóu sìfāng, zuìhòu bùzhīsuǒzhōng.

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