孤陋寡闻 gūlòu-guǎwén ignorant and inexperienced
ignorant and inexperienced; ill-informed and narrow-minded
How to remember 孤陋寡闻: 孤 orphaned + 陋 crude + 寡 widowed + 闻 hear = ignorant and inexperienced.
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How it is used
- Idiom: 'ignorant and poorly informed' - 我孤陋寡闻，没听说过 (wǒ gūlòu guǎwén, méi tīngshuō guò) I'm out of the loop, never heard of it.
- Often used self-deprecatingly to admit one doesn't know something.
- Literally 'lonely/shallow and hearing little' - narrow knowledge from limited exposure.