Chinese–EnglishWith examples

莫名其妙

mò míng qí miào · mo ming qi miao

Same in simplified and traditional Chinese

HSK 7–9Old HSK 6

Meaning

CC-CEDICT
  1. (idiom) baffling; bizarre; without rhyme or reason; inexplicable
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In a conversation

0:20 cartoon

The hot phone

  1. Liangliang

    我的(wǒde)手机(shǒujī)莫名其妙(mòmíngqímiào)地(de)变(biàn)得(de)很(hěn)烫(tàng)。

    My phone got hot for no reason.

  2. Dengdeng

    你(nǐ)放(fàng)在(zài)哪儿(nǎr)了(le)？

    Where did you put it?

  3. Liangliang

    就(jiù)在(zài)口袋(kǒudài)里(lǐ)。

    Right in my pocket.

  4. Dengdeng

    真(zhēn)莫名其妙(mòmíngqímiào)。你(nǐ)口袋(kǒudài)里(lǐ)还(hái)有(yǒu)什么(shénme)？

    Really baffling. What else is in your pocket?

  5. Liangliang

    只有(zhǐyǒu)早上(zǎoshang)买(mǎi)的(de)热(rè)包子(bāozi)。

    Only the hot bun I bought this morning.

  6. Dengdeng

    那(nà)就(jiù)对(duì)了(le)，是(shì)包子(bāozi)把(bǎ)手机(shǒujī)烫热(tàngrè)了(le)。

    That explains it. The bun made your phone hot.

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In a sentence

2 examples
01

他(tā)今(jīn)天(tiān)莫(mò)名(míng)其(qí)妙(miào)地(de)对(duì)我(wǒ)发(fā)了(le)一(yí)通(tòng)脾(pí)气(qì)。

He inexplicably lost his temper at me today.

02

电(diàn)脑(nǎo)莫(mò)名(míng)其(qí)妙(miào)地(de)自(zì)动(dòng)关(guān)机(jī)了(le)，我(wǒ)只(zhǐ)好(hǎo)重(chóng)新(xīn)启(qǐ)动(dòng)。

The computer inexplicably shut down by itself, so I had to restart it.

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Definitions adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG and its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Pinyin display and entry grouping have been adapted.

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