秘不外传
mì bù wài chuán
kept secret and never passed on to outsiders
Character by character
秘mì
secret
secret
不bù
not
not
外wài
outside
outside
传chuán
pass on
pass on
Example
这道菜的做法是他家祖先留下来的，一直秘不外传。
The recipe for this dish was left by his ancestors and has always been kept within the family.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Said of recipes, formulas, crafts and martial-arts techniques guarded within a family or a line of masters: 祖传秘方，秘不外传. It explains how a skill could die out: if no heir wanted the trade, the knowledge went with the master.
Learn this in Lesson 138 · HSK 7–9: 老字号 (The time-honoured brands)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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