来去无踪 Lái qù wú zōng come and go without a trace

Explanation

形容人或事物出现和消失非常迅速，难以捉摸。

Describes a person or thing that appears and disappears very quickly and is elusive.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，一位名叫李白的诗人，因其才华横溢，被誉为诗仙。但他性情豪放不羁，经常在酒酣耳热之际，突然消失不见，仿佛人间蒸发一般。一日，他在长安城中与友人畅饮，席间谈笑风生，酒过三巡，李白突然起身告辞，来去无踪，众人只觉眼前一晃，便不见了他的身影。此事传为佳话，后人便用“来去无踪”形容那些行为飘忽不定，难以捉摸的人或事物。另一个故事讲述的是一个侠客，他武功高强，行侠仗义，但行事神速，来无影去无踪，常常在危急时刻出现，帮助弱者，然后悄然离去，留下人们无限的敬佩和猜测。他的身影，如同夜空中闪烁的星辰，忽隐忽现，神秘莫测。人们只知道，危难之时，总会有这样一位侠客出现，来去无踪，却留下无尽的传说。

huà shuō Táng cháo shíqī, yī wèi míng jiào Lǐ Bái de shī rén, yīn qí cái huá héng yí, bèi yù wèi shī xiān. dàn tā xìng qíng háo fàng bù jī, jīng cháng zài jiǔ hān ěr rè zhī jì, tūrán xiāo shī bù jiàn, fǎng fú rén jiān zhēng fā yī bàn. yī rì, tā zài Cháng ān chéng zhōng yǔ yǒu rén chàng yǐn, xí jiān tán xiào fēng shēng, jiǔ guò sān xún, Lǐ Bái tūrán qǐ shēn gào cí, lái qù wú zōng, zhòng rén zhǐ jué yǎn qián yī huǎng, biàn bù jiàn le tā de shēn yǐng. cǐ shì chuán wèi jiā huà, hòu rén biàn yòng ‘lái qù wú zōng’ xiáoróng nà xiē xíng wéi piāo hū bù dìng, nán yǐ zhuō mó de rén huò shì wù. lìng yī gè gù shì jiǎng shù de shì yī gè xiá kè, tā wǔ gōng gāo qiáng, xíng xiá zhàng yì, dàn xíng shì shén sù, lái wú yǐng qù wú zōng, cháng cháng zài wēi jī shí kè chū xiàn, bāng zhù ruò zhě, rán hòu qiāo rán lí qù, liú xià rén men wú xiàn de jìng pèi hé cāi cè. tā de shēn yǐng, rú tóng yè kōng zhōng shǎn shuò de xīng chén, hū yǐn hū xiàn, shén mì mò cè. rén men zhǐ zhī dào, wēi nàn zhī shí, zǒng huì yǒu zhè yàng yī wèi xiá kè chū xiàn, lái qù wú zōng, què liú xià wú jìn de chuán shuō

It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, a poet named Li Bai, because of his extraordinary talent, was praised as the "God of Poetry". But he was temperamental and unrestrained, and often suddenly disappeared, as if evaporated, when he was drunk. One day, he was drinking with friends in Chang'an city. During the banquet, they chatted lively, and after three rounds of alcohol, Li Bai suddenly got up and said goodbye; he disappeared without a trace, and everyone only saw a flash before their eyes before he was gone. This story became a legend, and later, the idiom "come and go without a trace" was used to describe people or things that are unpredictable and elusive. Another story tells of a brave knight who had extraordinary martial arts skills and fought for justice, but acted quickly and came and went without a trace. He often appeared in dangerous situations to help the weak, and then quietly left, leaving behind only admiration and speculation. His figure was like a twinkling star in the night, sometimes visible, sometimes invisible, mysterious and unpredictable. People only knew that in times of crisis, there was always such a brave knight who came and went without a trace, but left behind endless legends.

Usage

常用来形容人或事物出现和消失非常迅速，难以捉摸。

cháng yòng lái xiáoróng rén huò shì wù chū xiàn hé xiāo shī fēicháng sùsù, nán yǐ zhuō mō

Often used to describe a person or thing that appears and disappears very quickly and is elusive.

Examples

• 那刺客来去无踪，令人防不胜防。

  nà cìkè lái qù wú zōng, lìng rén fáng bù shèng fáng

  The assassin came and went without a trace, making him unpredictable.

• 传说中的神仙，往往来去无踪，神通广大。

  chuán shuō zhōng de shénxiān, wǎng wǎng lái qù wú zōng, shéntōng guǎngdà

  The gods in legends often come and go without a trace, with great supernatural powers.

Related Idioms

• 神出鬼没

• 飘忽不定

Opposite Idioms

• 有迹可寻

• 无所遁形