無字天書

Chinese

		not have	letter; symbol; character letter; symbol; character; word	heavenly book; imperial edict; book that has come from the heavens or immortal spirits
trad. (無字天書)		無	字	天書
simp. (无字天书)		无	字	天书

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): wúzì tiānshū

(Zhuyin): ㄨˊ ㄗˋ ㄊㄧㄢㄕㄨ
Cantonese (Jyutping): mou⁴ zi⁶ tin¹ syu¹
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): bô-jī thian-su

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: wúzì tiānshū
  - Zhuyin: ㄨˊ ㄗˋ ㄊㄧㄢㄕㄨ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: wúzìh tianshu
  - Wade–Giles: wu²-tzŭ⁴ tʻien¹-shu¹
  - Yale: wú-dz̀ tyān-shū
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wutzyh tianshu
  - Palladius: уцзы тяньшу (uczy tjanʹšu)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /u³⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʂu⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: mou⁴ zi⁶ tin¹ syu¹
  - Yale: mòuh jih tīn syū
  - Cantonese Pinyin: mou⁴ dzi⁶ tin¹ sy¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: mou⁴ ji⁶ tin¹ xu¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mou̯²¹ t͡siː²² tʰiːn⁵⁵ syː⁵⁵/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bô-jī thian-su
  - Tâi-lô: bô-jī thian-su
  - Phofsit Daibuun: boiji tiensw
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /bɤ²³⁻³³ zi³³⁻²¹ tʰiɛn⁴⁴⁻³³ su⁴⁴/

Noun

無字天書

(figurative) text that is difficult to comprehend; abstruse writing
這本書深奧難懂，對我而言簡直是無字天書。 [MSC, trad.]
这本书深奥难懂，对我而言简直是无字天书。 [MSC, simp.]
Zhè běn shū shēn'ào nándǒng, duì wǒ éryán jiǎnzhí shì wúzìtiānshū. [Pinyin]
(please add an English translation of this usage example)
(mythology) writing from a supernatural being

Synonyms

天書／天书 (tiānshū)

References

“無字天書”, in 重編國語辭典修訂本 [Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary] (in Chinese), National Academy for Educational Research (Taiwan), 2021.