天知道

tiānzhīdào

phrase #9,480

Meanings

1 God knows
2 heaven knows
3 who knows

Characters

to know (in 知道)

Examples

HSK 1

天知道他去了哪里。

Tiānzhīdào tā qù le nǎlǐ.

God knows where he went.

HSK 2

他什么时候回来？天知道！

Tā shénme shíhou huílái? Tiānzhīdào!

When will he come back? Who knows!

HSK 4

天知道我经历了什么。

Tiānzhīdào wǒ jīnglì le shénme.

Heaven knows what I've been through.

Tips

register

天知道 is colloquial and expresses exasperation or helplessness, just like 'God knows' in English. It can start a sentence or stand alone as an exclamation. A more literary equivalent is 鬼知道, which is slightly more irreverent.

Stroke Order

天 tiān

知 zhī

道 dào