心知肚明
- Literal
- the heart knows, the belly is clear
- Figurative
- To know something perfectly well even though no one says it out loud; typically used when everyone involved knows and would rather keep quiet.
Where does 心知肚明 come from?
It does not come from an anecdote; it is a colloquial expression made of two parallel halves. In Chinese, 心 ("heart") and 肚 ("belly") are often used for one's inner self, what a person thinks and keeps to themselves, as in 一肚子火, "a belly full of anger." 知 means "to know" and 明 "to be clear." Together they say that something is known inside with complete clarity, even if it never gets said. It is usually applied to awkward or unspoken truths that everyone knows and no one mentions, and it often carries a note of complicity or irony.
How is 心知肚明 used? Two examples
- 妹妹说在图书馆学习，其实是跟男朋友出去了，爸妈心知肚明，只是没点破。
My sister says she's studying at the library, but she's really out with her boyfriend; our parents know perfectly well, they just don't let on.
- 项目搞砸了，经理嘴上不承认，其实自己心知肚明。
The project fell apart; the manager won't admit it out loud, but deep down he knows full well.
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