无影无形 wú yǐng wú xíng Invisible

Explanation

形容事物没有形状和踪迹，完全消失或不存在。也指虚构或难以捉摸的事物。

Describes something without shape or trace, completely disappeared or nonexistent. Also refers to fictitious or elusive things.

Origin Story

话说唐三藏西天取经，途径一座妖气弥漫的山谷。孙悟空踏着筋斗云率先探路，却发现山谷中空无一物，甚至连风都静止了。一种诡异的寂静笼罩着这片区域。忽然，一股无形的寒气袭来，孙悟空只觉浑身发冷，下意识地念紧了紧金箍棒。他举目四望，却看不见任何敌人，那寒气却越来越重，仿佛来自四面八方，无影无形，令人心惊胆战。孙悟空意识到这是一场看不见的战斗，他闭上眼睛，集中全部精神，用灵敏的猴耳聆听周围的动静。隐约中，他听到了细微的沙沙声，像是某种东西在地下移动。孙悟空猛地一跃而起，用金箍棒在地上猛击。只听一声惨叫，一个巨大的地底妖魔显露出身形，被孙悟空一棒打死。原来，那妖魔善于隐藏，平时无影无形，只有在攻击的时候才会泄露气息。孙悟空战胜了这无影无形的妖魔，继续西行。

hua shuo tang sanzang xitian qujing, tujing yizu yaoqi miman de shangu. sun wukong ta zhe jindouyun xianshou tanlu, que faxian shangu zhong kongwu yi wu, shen zhi lian feng dou jingzhi le. yizhong guyi de jingji longzhao zhe pian quyu. huran, yigu wu xing de hanqi xilai, sun wukong zhi jue hun shen fa leng, yishi xia de nian jin le jin gu bang. ta ju mu si wang, que kan bu jian renhe diren, na hanqi que yue lai yue zhong, fangfo lai zi simian bafang, wu ying wu xing, ling ren xinjing danzhan. sun wukong yishi dao zhe shi yichang kan bu jian de zhandou, ta bi shang yanjing, jizhong quanbu jingshen, yong lingmin de hou er lingting zhouwei de dongjing. yinyue zhong, ta ting dao le xiwei de shasha sheng, xiang shi mouzhong dongxi zai didi yidong. sun wukong meng de yi yue er qi, yong jin gu bang zai di shang meng ji. zhi ting yisheng canjiao, yige juda de didi yaomo xianlu chu shengxing, bei sun wukong yi bang da si. yuanlai, na yaomo shan yu yin cang, ping shi wu ying wu xing, zhi you zai gongji de shihou cai hui xielou qixi. sun wukong zhansheng le zhe wu ying wu xing de yaomo, jixu xixing.

It is said that Tang Sanzang, on his journey to the west to obtain scriptures, passed through a valley filled with demonic aura. Sun Wukong, riding his somersault cloud, was the first to explore the path, but he found that the valley was empty, not even the wind was moving. An eerie silence enveloped the area. Suddenly, a wave of invisible cold air swept over him, and Sun Wukong felt a chill all over, instinctively tightening his golden cudgel. He looked around, but saw no enemy, yet the cold air grew stronger, seemingly coming from all directions, invisible and frightening. Sun Wukong realized that this was an invisible battle. He closed his eyes, concentrated all his spirit, and listened to the surroundings with his sensitive monkey ears. Vaguely, he heard a faint rustling, like something moving underground. Sun Wukong leaped up and struck the ground hard with his golden cudgel. A scream was heard, and a huge underground demon appeared, slain by Sun Wukong's blow. It turned out that the demon was skilled at hiding, usually invisible, only revealing its presence when attacking. Sun Wukong defeated the invisible demon and continued westward.

Usage

常用于形容事物神秘、难以捉摸，或虚无缥缈，也用于形容某些技巧高超、难以察觉的情况。

changyong yu xingrong shiwu shenmi nan yi zhuomo, huo xu wu piaomiao, ye yongyu xingrong mouxie jiqiao gaochao nan yi chajue de qingkuang.

Often used to describe something mysterious, elusive, or ethereal. Also used to describe situations where certain skills are highly advanced and difficult to detect.

Examples

• 孙悟空变化无常，无影无形，让人防不胜防。

  sun wukong bianhua wuchang, wu ying wu xing, rang ren fang bu sheng fang.

  Sun Wukong is unpredictable, invisible, and hard to guard against.

• 他的魔法高深莫测，无影无形，令人惊叹。

  ta de mafa gaoshen mo ce, wu ying wu xing, ling ren jingtan

  His magic is unfathomably profound, invisible, and amazing.

Related Idioms

• 无形无影

• 虚无缥缈

Opposite Idioms

• 有形有体

• 清晰可见