"Wu zhong sheng you" literally means "to produce something from nothing," but its core meaning refers to fabricating things or lies out of thin air with no factual basis. This idiom originates from Chapter 40 of Laozi: "All things in the world are born from being; being is born from non-being." It was originally a Daoist philosophical proposition about the genesis of the universe, but later its meaning shifted to a derogatory sense, referring to groundless rumor-mongering, false accusation, or fabrication. In everyday use, it is often employed to criticize acts of deliberately creating false information, sowing discord, or framing others, carrying a strong tone of negation and condemnation. For example, in an interpersonal dispute, one party may "wu zhong sheng you" accuse the other to achieve the purpose of smearing them; in the public opinion arena, some also "wu zhong sheng you" spread rumors. It should be noted that this idiom differs slightly from "bu feng zhuo ying" (catching the wind and shadow), as the latter emphasizes overinterpreting existing signs, while "wu zhong sheng you" emphasizes complete fabrication out of nothing. Overall, it is a derogatory idiom that reminds people to respect facts and oppose fabrication.
📝 Example
1. To take revenge on his colleague, he actually fabricated a rumor out of thin air that the other party had leaked company secrets.
2. This report was completely fabricated out of thin air and caused enormous reputational damage to the person involved.