# 史无前例

shǐ wú qián lì

Have no known earlier parallel

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** No earlier example in the record

**Traditional Chinese:** 史無前例

**Register:** General · spoken & written

[Change & possibility](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/change)

## When to use it

Emphasize a development that appears unprecedented.

Check the relevant history before making this strong claim.

## The image & its use

The expression makes a comparison with earlier records. It is stronger than calling something new to one observer: it suggests that no comparable example is known within the relevant history. A project may achieve a new scale, or a school may introduce a genuinely new arrangement. Define that context rather than claiming uniqueness across all time. A modest, specific claim is often more useful than a dramatic statement that overlooks earlier examples.

## Examples

这次展览的规模在本馆史无前例。

### Traditional Chinese

這次展覽的規模在本館史無前例。

zhè cì zhǎn lǎn de guī mó zài běn guǎn shǐ wú qián lì 。

The exhibition's scale is unprecedented for this gallery.

学校采用了史无前例的新安排。

### Traditional Chinese

學校採用了史無前例的新安排。

xué xiào cǎi yòng le shǐ wú qián lì de xīn ān pái 。

The school adopted an arrangement with no earlier parallel there.

这样的合作在当地史无前例。

### Traditional Chinese

這樣的合作在當地史無前例。

zhè yàng de hé zuò zài dāng dì shǐ wú qián lì 。

Such cooperation has no known precedent locally.

说史无前例之前，先查一查资料。

### Traditional Chinese

說史無前例之前，先查一查資料。

shuō shǐ wú qián lì zhī qián ， xiān chá yi chá zī liào 。

Check the records before calling something unprecedented.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 7, 2026.

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=1109&webMd=1&la=0)

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E5%8F%B2%E7%84%A1%E5%89%8D%E4%BE%8B)

## Keep exploring

- [水到渠成 shuǐ dào qú chéng Success follows when conditions are ready ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/shui-dao-qu-cheng)

- [顺其自然 shùn qí zì rán Let things follow their natural course ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/shun-qi-zi-ran)

- [四海为家 sì hǎi wéi jiā Make one's home wherever one goes ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/si-hai-wei-jia)

- [死灰复燃 sǐ huī fù rán An unwelcome problem revives ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/si-hui-fu-ran)

## Keep this one close.

Save useful idioms, read offline, and revisit them with flashcards in Almanac.

[View on the App Store ](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6819590452)

[Previous idiom 世外桃源 ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/shi-wai-tao-yuan) [Next idiom 食言而肥 ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/shi-yan-er-fei)