空空如也

Chinese

		empty	empty	postposition indicating appearance	clause-final particle
trad. (空空如也)		空	空	如	也
simp. #(空空如也)		空	空	如	也

Etymology

From the Analects, Book 9 (《論語·子罕》):

子曰：「吾有知乎哉？無知也。有鄙夫問於我，空空如也，我叩其兩端而竭焉。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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子曰：「吾有知乎哉？无知也。有鄙夫问于我，空空如也，我叩其两端而竭焉。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Zǐyuē: “Wú yǒu zhī hū zāi? Wúzhī yě. Yǒu bǐfū wèn yú wǒ, kōngkōng rú yě, wǒ kòu qí liǎngduān ér jié yān.” [Pinyin]

The Master said, "Am I indeed possessed of knowledge? I am not knowing. But if a mean person, who appears quite empty-like, ask anything of me, I set it forth from one end to the other, and exhaust it."

Originally, reduplication of 空 with particles was native to Classical Chinese grammar. In vernacular or modern Chinese, the chengyu with its air of classicality is often used for humorous effects.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): kōngkōngrúyě

  (Zhuyin): ㄎㄨㄥ ㄎㄨㄥ ㄖㄨˊ ㄧㄝˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hung¹ hung¹ jyu⁴ jaa⁵

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: kōngkōngrúyě
    • Zhuyin: ㄎㄨㄥ ㄎㄨㄥ ㄖㄨˊ ㄧㄝˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: kongkongrúyě
    • Wade–Giles: kʻung¹-kʻung¹-ju²-yeh³
    • Yale: kūng-kūng-rú-yě
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: kongkongruyee
    • Palladius: кункунжуе (kunkunžuje)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰʊŋ⁵⁵ kʰʊŋ⁵⁵ ʐu³⁵ jɛ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: hung¹ hung¹ jyu⁴ jaa⁵
    • Yale: hūng hūng yùh yáh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hung¹ hung¹ jy⁴ jaa⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: hung¹ hung¹ yu⁴ ya⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hʊŋ⁵⁵ hʊŋ⁵⁵ jyː²¹ jaː¹³/

Idiom

空空如也

1. empty; vacuous; having nothing

   他講課的時候，教室經常空空如也。 [MSC, trad.]
   他讲课的时候，教室经常空空如也。 [MSC, simp.]

   Tā jiǎngkè de shíhòu, jiàoshì jīngcháng kōngkōngrúyě. [Pinyin]

   When he teaches, the classroom is often empty.