未卜先知 wèi bǔ xiān zhī foreseeing the future

Explanation

指事先就能知道或预料到。形容有预见性。

To know or anticipate something in advance. Describes someone with foresight.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有个名叫李淳风的年轻书生，他从小就对天文地理、奇门遁甲颇感兴趣，经常研读各种书籍，希望能够掌握预测未来的方法。一天，他独自一人来到郊外游玩，途中遇到一位老道士。老道士见他相貌不凡，便主动与其攀谈，李淳风就向老道士请教预测未来之术。老道士笑了笑说：“预测未来不是一件容易的事，需要天资聪颖，还需要长期的积累和实践。不过，我可以给你讲一个故事，让你明白其中的道理。”老道士便给他讲了一个故事：从前，有一个村庄，村里的人们非常勤劳，每年都能收获丰收。可是，有一天，村里来了一个算命先生，算命先生说这个村庄将会遭遇一场大灾难，许多人将会因此而丧生。村里的人们听了之后，都感到十分害怕，纷纷逃离了村庄。果然，没过多久，这个村庄便发生了一场大地震，村庄被夷为平地。老道士说：“你看，这个算命先生，虽然没有使用任何占卜工具，但是他却能够准确地预料到未来将会发生的事情。这就是未卜先知。”李淳风听了这个故事，若有所思，他明白了未卜先知不仅仅需要掌握各种预测技巧，更重要的是需要有敏锐的观察力和判断力，能够从细微之处发现蛛丝马迹，从而准确地预料到未来将会发生的事情。从此以后，李淳风更加勤奋地学习和实践，最终成为了一个著名的预言家。

huà shuō táng cháo shíqī, yǒu gè míng jiào lǐ chúnfēng de nián qīng shūshēng, tā cóng xiǎo jiù duì tiānwén dìlǐ, qímén dùnjǐà pō gǎn xìngqù, jīngcháng yán dú gè zhǒng shūjí, xīwàng nénggòu zhǎngwò yùcè wèilái de fāngfǎ. yī tiān, tā dú zì yī rén lái dào jiāowài yóuwán, tú zhōng yù dào yī wèi lǎo dàoshì. lǎo dàoshì jiàn tā xiàngmào bùfán, biàn zìdòng yǔ qí pāntán, lǐ chúnfēng jiù xiàng lǎo dàoshì qǐngjiào yùcè wèilái zhī shù. lǎo dàoshì xiàole xiàole shuō:“yùcè wèilái bùshì yī jiàn róngyì de shì, xūyào tiānzi cōngyǐng, hái xūyào chángqī de jīlěi hé shíjiàn. bùguò, wǒ kěyǐ gěi nǐ jiǎng yīgè gùshì, ràng nǐ míngbái qízhōng de dàolǐ.” lǎo dàoshì biàn gěi tā jiǎng le yīgè gùshì: cóng qián, yǒu yīgè cūnzhuāng, cūn lǐ de rénmen fēicháng qínláo, měi nián dōu néng shōuhuò fēngshōu. kěshì, yǒu yī tiān, cūn lǐ lái le yīgè suànmìng xiānshēng, suànmìng xiānshēng shuō zhège cūnzhuāng jiāng huì zāoyù yī chǎng dà zāinàn, xǔduō rén jiāng huì yīncǐ ér sàngshēng. cūn lǐ de rénmen tīng le zhīhòu, dōu gǎndào shífēn hàipà, fēnfēn táolí le cūnzhuāng. guǒrán, méi guò duōjiǔ, zhège cūnzhuāng biàn fāshēng le yī chǎng dà dìzhèn, cūnzhuāng bèi yí wéi píngdì. lǎo dàoshì shuō:“nǐ kàn, zhège suànmìng xiānshēng, suīrán méiyǒu shǐyòng rènhé zhānbǔ gōngjù, dànshì tā què nénggòu zhǔnquè de yùliào dào wèilái jiāng huì fāshēng de shìqíng. zhè jiùshì wèibǔxiānzhī.” lǐ chúnfēng tīng le zhège gùshì, ruò yǒu suǒ sī, tā míngbái le wèibǔxiānzhī bù jǐn jǐn xūyào zhǎngwò gè zhǒng yùcè jìqiǎo, gèng shì zhòngyào de xūyào yǒu mǐnruì de guānchá lì hé pànduàn lì, nénggòu cóng xìwēi zhī chù fāxiàn zhūsī mǎjì, cóng'ér zhǔnquè de yùliào dào wèilái jiāng huì fāshēng de shìqíng. cóng cǐ yǐhòu, lǐ chúnfēng gèngjiā qínfèn de xuéxí hé shíjiàn, zhōng yú chéngwéi le yīgè zhùmíng de yùyán jiā.

It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, there was a young scholar named Li Chunfeng who, from a young age, was interested in astronomy, geography, and the occult arts. He frequently studied various books, hoping to master the art of predicting the future. One day, while on a solitary excursion, he encountered an old Taoist. The Taoist, noticing his unusual appearance, initiated a conversation with him. Li Chunfeng sought instruction from the Taoist on the techniques of foretelling the future. The Taoist smiled and said, "Predicting the future is not an easy task. It requires both innate talent and years of accumulated experience. However, I can tell you a story that will help you understand the principle." The Taoist then recounted a story: Once upon a time, there was a village whose people were diligent and always had abundant harvests. However, one day, a fortune teller came to the village. The fortune teller predicted that the village would face a great catastrophe that would claim many lives. Upon hearing this, the villagers, filled with fear, promptly fled the village. Shortly thereafter, a massive earthquake struck the village, utterly destroying it. The Taoist said, "See, the fortune teller, without resorting to any divination tools, could accurately predict future events. That is what 未卜先知 means." Li Chunfeng, contemplating this story, realized that 未卜先知 isn't merely about mastering prediction techniques but also necessitates keen observation and judgment, the ability to discern clues from subtle details to accurately anticipate future happenings. Thereafter, Li Chunfeng dedicated himself even more to study and practice, ultimately becoming a renowned prophet.

Usage

用于形容人具有预见性，能够预知未来。

yòng yú xíngróng rén jùyǒu yùjiàn xìng, nénggòu yù zhī wèilái

Used to describe someone who has foresight and can predict the future.

Examples

• 诸葛亮草船借箭，便是未卜先知。

  zhūgěliàng cǎochuán jièjiàn,biànshì wèibǔxiānzhī

  Zhuge Liang's borrowing arrows with straw boats is an example of 未卜先知.

• 他能未卜先知地预料到这场战争的结局。

  tā néng wèibǔxiānzhī de yùliào dào zhè chǎng zhànzhēng de jiéjú

  He could foresee the outcome of this war, a true 未卜先知.

Related Idioms

• 料事如神

• 先见之明

• 洞察先机

Opposite Idioms

• 始料不及

• 措手不及