無中生有

Chinese

		not have	middle; centre; within middle; centre; within; among; in; while (doing something); during; China; Chinese; hit (the mark)	to be born; to give birth; life to be born; to give birth; life; to grow; student; raw	to have; there is; there are to have; there is; there are; to exist; to be
trad. (無中生有)		無	中	生	有
simp. (无中生有)		无	中	生	有

Etymology

From Chapter 40 of Tao Te Ching:

天下萬物生於有，有生於無。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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天下万物生于有，有生于无。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Tao Te Ching, 4^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Tiānxià wànwù shēng yú yǒu, yǒu shēng yú wú. [Pinyin]

All things under heaven sprang from It as existing (and named); that existence sprang from It as non-existent (and not named).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): wúzhōng-shēngyǒu

  (Zhuyin): ㄨˊ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄕㄥ ㄧㄡˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): mou⁴ zung¹ sang¹ jau⁵
• Southern Min (Teochew, Peng'im): bho⁵ dang¹ sên¹ u⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: wúzhōng-shēngyǒu
    • Zhuyin: ㄨˊ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄕㄥ ㄧㄡˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: wújhongshengyǒu
    • Wade–Giles: wu²-chung¹-shêng¹-yu³
    • Yale: wú-jūng-shēng-yǒu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wujongshengyeou
    • Palladius: учжуншэнъю (učžunšɛnʺju)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /u³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʊŋ⁵⁵ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ joʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: mou⁴ zung¹ sang¹ jau⁵
    • Yale: mòuh jūng sāng yáuh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: mou⁴ dzung¹ sang¹ jau⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: mou⁴ zung¹ seng¹ yeo⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mou̯²¹ t͡sʊŋ⁵⁵ sɐŋ⁵⁵ jɐu̯¹³/
• Southern Min
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: bho⁵ dang¹ sên¹ u⁶
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: bô tang seⁿ ŭ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /bo⁵⁵⁻¹¹ taŋ³³⁻²³ sẽ³³⁻²³ u³⁵/

Idiom

無中生有

1. (Taoism) all existence sprang from nonexistence
2. to fabricate; to make up unfounded rumor; to trump up
3. out of thin air