不足为外人道也

不足為外人道也

bùzúwéiwàiréndàoyě

phrase

Meanings

1 not worth telling outsiders
2 don't mention this to people outside
3 classical way of asking someone to keep a secret

Characters

for / to (4th tone)

(classical sentence-final particle)

Examples

这件事比较私密，不足为外人道也。

Zhè jiàn shì bǐjiào sīmì, bù zú wèi wài rén dào yě.

This matter is rather private — not something to tell outsiders.

桃源中人嘱咐他不足为外人道也。

Táoyuán zhōng rén zhǔfù tā bù zú wèi wài rén dào yě.

The Peach Blossom villagers told him it was 'not to be spoken of to outsiders.'

Tips

history

From Tao Yuanming's (陶渊明, Eastern Jin dynasty) 《桃花源记》: 此中人语云：不足为外人道也 — 'A villager said to him: this is not to be told to outsiders.' The parting request from the hidden utopia of the Peach Blossom Spring to the fisherman who stumbled in. After he leaves, no one ever finds it again.

usage

为 is read wèi (4th tone, 'for / to'), not wéi (2nd tone, 'is'). 也 is a classical sentence-final particle — no modern meaning, just formality. Used today as an educated way to say 'keep this between us.'

Stroke Order

不 bù

足 zú

为 wèi

外 wài

人 rén

道 dào

也 yě