無妄之災

Chinese

		not have	absurd; fantastic	's; him/her/it; this	disaster; calamity
trad. (無妄之災)		無	妄	之	災
simp. (无妄之灾)		无	妄	之	灾

Etymology

From I Ching, Hexagram 25 (《易经·无妄》):

六三：无妄之災，或繫之牛，行人之得，邑人之災。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

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六三：无妄之灾，或系之牛，行人之得，邑人之灾。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: I Ching, 11^th – 8^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Liù sān: wú wàng zhī zāi, huò jì zhī niú, xíngrén zhī dé, yìrén zhī zāi. [Pinyin]

The third SIX, divided, shows calamity happening to one who is free from insincerity - as in the case of an ox that has been tied up. A passer by finds it (and carries it off), while the people in the neighbourhood have the calamity (of being accused and apprehended).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): wúwàngzhīzāi

  (Zhuyin): ㄨˊ ㄨㄤˋ ㄓ ㄗㄞ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): mou⁴ mong⁵ zi¹ zoi¹
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): bû-bōng-chi-chai

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: wúwàngzhīzāi
    • Zhuyin: ㄨˊ ㄨㄤˋ ㄓ ㄗㄞ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: wúwàngjhihzai
    • Wade–Giles: wu²-wang⁴-chih¹-tsai¹
    • Yale: wú-wàng-jr̄-dzāi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wuwanqjytzai
    • Palladius: уванчжицзай (uvančžiczaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /u³⁵ wɑŋ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ t͡saɪ̯⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: mou⁴ mong⁵ zi¹ zoi¹
    • Yale: mòuh móhng jī jōi
    • Cantonese Pinyin: mou⁴ mong⁵ dzi¹ dzoi¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: mou⁴ mong⁵ ji¹ zoi¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mou̯²¹ mɔːŋ¹³ t͡siː⁵⁵ t͡sɔːi̯⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bû-bōng-chi-chai
    • Tâi-lô: bû-bōng-tsi-tsai
    • Phofsit Daibuun: bu'boxngcizay
    • IPA (Xiamen): /bu²⁴⁻²² bɔŋ²²⁻²¹ t͡si⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sai⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /bu²⁴⁻²² bɔŋ⁴¹⁻²² t͡si³³ t͡sai³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /bu¹³⁻²² bɔŋ²²⁻²¹ t͡si⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sai⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /bu²⁴⁻¹¹ bɔŋ³³⁻¹¹ t͡si⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sai⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /bu²³⁻³³ bɔŋ³³⁻²¹ t͡si⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sai⁴⁴/

Idiom

無妄之災

1. unexpected calamity; undeserved ill turn