空空如也

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Chinese

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empty empty postposition indicating appearance clause-final particle
trad. (空空如也)
simp. #(空空如也)

Etymology

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From the Analects, Book 9 (《論語·子罕》):

子曰:「無知空空如也。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
子曰:「无知空空如也。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
Zǐyuē: “Wú yǒu zhī hū zāi? Wúzhī yě. Yǒu bǐfū wèn yú wǒ, kōngkōng rú yě, wǒ kòu qí liǎngduān ér jié yān.” [Pinyin]
The Master said, "Am I indeed possessed of knowledge? I am not knowing. But if a mean person, who appears quite empty-like, ask anything of me, I set it forth from one end to the other, and exhaust it."

Originally, reduplication of with particles was native to Classical Chinese grammar. In vernacular or modern Chinese, the chengyu with its air of classicality is often used for humorous effects.

Pronunciation

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Idiom

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空空如也

  1. empty; vacuous; having nothing
    講課時候教室經常空空如也 [MSC, trad.]
    讲课时候教室经常空空如也 [MSC, simp.]
    Tā jiǎngkè de shíhòu, jiàoshì jīngcháng kōngkōngrúyě. [Pinyin]
    When he teaches, the classroom is often empty.