Chinese idiom · 成语
道听途说
Meaning
Heard on the road; baseless rumors.
Character by character
Origin and story
Classical teachingThe phrase derives from Analects 17.14, in the Yang Huo chapter. Confucius criticizes hearing something on the road and immediately repeating it along the way, treating such conduct as a failure of moral cultivation. The warning links responsibility in speech with what one chooses to pass on.
The classical wording uses 塗 for road, while the familiar modern form uses 途. The central issue is lack of examination or reliable grounds, not simply that information came from another person. In today's language it describes hearsay or unverified reports, and can also criticize the act of spreading them. The passage is a brief teaching, not an anecdote about one named gossip.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
这只是道听途说的消息，先别转发到群里。
This is only hearsay; do not forward it to the group yet.
For unverified information; it does not necessarily mean the claim has already been disproved.