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HSK 6
notmíngnameitsmiàosubtle
Baffling; inexplicable; odd; without rhyme or reason.

Literal meaning

not (莫) — name (名) — its (其) — subtle (妙)

Origin

A classical four-character phrase describing something strange and difficult to understand.

Examples

Tā tūrán mòmíng-qímiào de shēngqì le.他突然莫名其妙地生气了。
He suddenly got angry for no apparent reason.
Wǒ gǎndào mòmíng-qímiào, bù zhīdào fāshēng le shénme shì.我感到莫名其妙,不知道发生了什么事。
I felt baffled and didn't know what had happened.

Usage & nuances

Describes something that is strange, inexplicable, and difficult to understand.

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