秘而不宣 mì'ér bù xuān secret and not announced

Explanation

指把事情隐瞒起来，不公开宣布。

means to keep something hidden and not to publicly announce it.

Origin Story

在一个古老的村庄里，住着一位德高望重的药剂师。他研制出一种神奇的药方，可以治愈各种疑难杂症。这个药方，他秘而不宣，只为村里的人们服务。他深知，药方的价值不仅在于治愈疾病，更在于守护这份来之不易的和平与宁静。为了避免药方落入坏人之手，药剂师将药方细致地抄写，用古老的密码锁好，藏于自家祖传的药柜中。药柜上，雕刻着精美的花纹，古朴神秘，与周围环境融为一体，如同一位沉默的守护者，守护着村庄的安宁，也守护着药剂师的秘密。年复一年，药剂师用他的药方治愈了一个又一个村民，也用他的沉默守护着这份秘密。直到他生命的尽头，他才将药方和密码的秘密传给了他最信任的弟子。弟子继承了他的遗志，继续秘而不宣，为村庄的人们默默地奉献着。而药方，也成为了村庄永远流传下去的珍贵财富。

zài yīgè gǔlǎo de cūnzhāng lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi dé gāo wàng zhòng de yàojìshī。tā yánzhì chū yī zhǒng shénqí de yào fāng, kěyǐ zhìyù gè zhǒng yí nán zá zhèng。zhège yào fāng, tā mì'ér bù xuān, zhǐ wèi cūn lǐ de rénmen fúwù。tā shēnzhī, yào fāng de jiàzhí bù jìn zài yú zhìyù jíbìng, gèng zài yú shǒuhù zhè fèn lái zhī bù yì de hépíng yǔ níngjìng。wèile bìmiǎn yào fāng luò rù huàirén zhī shǒu, yàojìshī jiāng yào fāng xìzhì de chāoxiě, yòng gǔlǎo de mìmǎ suǒ hǎo, cáng yú zìjiā zǔchuán de yàoguì zhōng。yàoguì shàng, diāokè zhe jīngměi de huāwén, gǔpǔ shénmì, yǔ zhōuwéi huánjìng róng wéi yītǐ, rútóng yī wèi chénmò de shǒuhù zhě, shǒuhù zhe cūnzhāng de ānníng, yě shǒuhù zhe yàojìshī de mìmì。nián fù yī nián, yàojìshī yòng tā de yào fāng zhìyù le yīgè yòu yīgè cūn mín, yě yòng tā de chénmò shǒuhù zhe zhè fèn mìmì。zhídào tā shēngmìng de jìntóu, tā cái jiāng yào fāng hé mìmǎ de mìmì chuán gěi le tā zuì xìnrèn de dìzī。dìzī jìchéng le tā de yízhì, jìxù mì'ér bù xuān, wèi cūnzhāng de rénmen mòmò de fèngxiàn zhe。ér yào fāng, yě chéngle cūnzhāng yǒngyuǎn liúchuán xiàqù de zhēnguì cáifù。

In an ancient village, there lived a highly respected pharmacist. He developed a miraculous prescription that could cure various intractable diseases. This prescription, he kept secret, serving only the villagers. He knew that the value of the prescription lay not only in curing diseases but also in safeguarding the hard-won peace and tranquility. To prevent the prescription from falling into the wrong hands, the pharmacist meticulously copied the prescription, locked it with an ancient cipher, and hid it in his family's ancestral medicine cabinet. The medicine cabinet was carved with exquisite patterns, ancient and mysterious, blending seamlessly with the surrounding environment, like a silent guardian, protecting the village's peace and the pharmacist's secret. Year after year, the pharmacist used his prescription to cure villager after villager, silently guarding this secret. Only at the end of his life did he pass on the prescription and the secret of the cipher to his most trusted disciple. The disciple inherited his will, continuing to keep it secret, silently contributing to the village. And the prescription became a precious treasure that would forever be passed down in the village.

Usage

用于形容对事情保密，不肯公开。

yòng yú xíngróng duì shìqíng bǎomì, bù kěn gōngkāi。

used to describe keeping something secret and not making it public.

Examples

• 这件事，公司内部秘而不宣，我们根本不知道发生了什么。

  zhè jiàn shì, gōngsī nèibù mì'ér bù xuān, wǒmen gēnběn bù zhīdào fāshēngle shénme。

  This matter was kept secret within the company; we didn't know what happened at all.

• 这项技术是他们的核心竞争力，一直秘而不宣。

  zhè xiàng jìshù shì tāmen de héxīn jìngzhēnglì, yīzhí mì'ér bù xuān。

  This technology is their core competitiveness and has always been kept secret

Related Idioms

• 守口如瓶

• 秘而不露

• 缄口不言

Opposite Idioms

• 直言不讳

• 公开透明