名不見經傳
简 名不见经传 · 繁 名不見經傳Meanings
- (lit.) name not encountered in the classics
- unknown (person)
- nobody
Characters in this entry
- 名
- míng · name, rank, title, position
- 不
- bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
- 見
- jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive; Kangxi radical 147
- 經
- Look up this written character
- 傳
- chuán · summon; propagate, transmit
- 见
- jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive
- 经
- jīng · classic works; pass through
- 传
- chuán · summon; propagate, transmit
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
2–4–4–1–4 · ming2 bu4 jian4 jing1 zhuan4
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
名不見經傳 · find source passages ↗ · 名不见经传 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
ming4 bat1 gin3 ging1 cyun4
Cantonese word readings for 名不見經傳. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (idiomatic) to be unknown; to be a no-name
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack