人所共知

rénsuǒgòngzhī

idiom #69,083

Meanings

Zhè shì rén suǒ gòng zhī de shìshí.

This is a fact that everyone knows.

Tā de gòngxiàn rén suǒ gòng zhī.

His contributions are known to all.

grammar

Classical structure: 人所共知 = "that which all people know". 所 + verb forms a nominalized "that which...". Functions as a set adjectival phrase.

usage

Neutral in tone — just states that something is widely known. Compare 路人皆知, which has a stronger "blatantly obvious" edge.

人 rén

所 suǒ

共 gòng

知 zhī