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 ㄊㄧㄢ ㄕㄨ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): mou⁴ zi⁶ tin¹ syu¹
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): bô-jī thian-su

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: wúzì tiānshū
    • Zhuyin: ㄨˊ ㄗˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄕㄨ
    • 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

1. (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)

2. (mythology) writing from a supernatural being

Synonyms

• 天書／天书 (tiānshū)

References

• “Entry #159283”, in 重編國語辭典修訂本 [Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary] (in Chinese), National Academy for Educational Research (Taiwan), 2021.