# 每件事的來龍去脈



## KYC

Hi there:
I wonder may I say :*He knows everything in* *the office backwards* if I want to say:他總知道辦公室裡每件事的來龍去脈
Also, I wonder if it is idiomatic.
Thanks for your help!


----------



## twinklestar

KYC said:


> Hi there:
> I wonder may I say :*He knows everything in* *the office backwards* if I want to say:他總知道辦公室裡每件事的來龍去脈
> Also, I wonder if it is idiomatic.
> Thanks for your help!


 
He always knows the ins and outs of everything in the office.

everything =每一件事

来能去脉 = the ins and outs



> *the ins and outs plural noun*
> the detailed or complicated facts of something:
> I know how to use computers, but I don't really understand the ins and outs of how they work.


source: the Cambridge Dictionary


----------



## looli23

twinklestar said:


> He always knows the ins and outs of everything in the office.
> 
> everything =每一件事
> 
> 来能去脉 = the ins and outs
> 
> 
> source: the Cambridge Dictionary



the phrase is 来龙去脉，not 来能去脉
来龙去脉in english is: pedigree;origin and course of development;cause and effect; ins and outs; sequence of actions; ways and wherefores; whence and wither


it's ok to use it to say that he knows everything in his office


----------



## twinklestar

looli23 said:


> the phrase is 来龙去脉，not 来能去脉
> 来龙去脉in english is: pedigree;origin and course of development;cause and effect; ins and outs; sequence of actions; ways and wherefores; whence and wither


 
I stand corrected about the Chinese word. It is 龙 but not 能, an inadvertent typo. And I agree with your explanation about the Chinese idiom. 

However 每一件事的来龙去脉 =/= 每一件事

He knows the meeting 

He knows the ins and outs of the meeting. (the history of the meeting, what happened previously.)

来龙去脉 focuses on the details of the experience of the affairs.


----------



## looli23

twinklestar said:


> I stand corrected about the Chinese word. It is 龙 but not 能, an inadvertent typo. And I agree with your explanation about the Chinese idiom.
> 
> However 每一件事的来龙去脉 =/= 每一件事
> 
> He knows the meeting
> 
> He knows the ins and outs of the meeting. (the history of the meeting, what happened previously.)
> 
> 来龙去脉 focuses on the details of the experience of the affairs.




the explanation of the idiom is from a dictionary, XD

yeah, you are right about 来龙去脉，it's more about the whole history of something.

what about 一清二楚 or 了如指掌？
他对办公室里的一切都一清二楚 or 他对办公室里的一切都了如指掌？
both mean he knows everything, and it's better than simply saying 知道每一件事情


----------



## samanthalee

Hi KYC,

Do you mean to say "他对办公室里发生的每一件事都知道得一清二楚: He knows everything that goes on in the office."?


----------



## KYC

Yes,samanthalee.
But I also wonder if it is idiomatic to say *the ins* *and outs*
Thanks a lot!


----------



## samanthalee

KYC said:


> But I also wonder if it is idiomatic to say *the ins* *and outs*



"Knowing the ins and outs of" 一般指“了解程序，方法，运作方式，操作原理等”。若是指“事件发生的来龙去脉”则不应使用 "the ins and outs of".

You can use "know everything that is going on"(全都知道) or "being on top of things"(完全掌握) .


----------



## lcsern

twinklestar said:


> 每一件事的来龙去脉 =/= 每一件事 ???????
> 
> He knows the meeting
> 
> He knows the ins and outs of the meeting. (the history of the meeting, what happened previously.)




 He knows everything about the meeting


----------



## zeg

I think it went a little too far..about idiomatic translation

来龙去脉 in the sentence....means...he knows why it happened...and how it will end like...

ins and outs...good enough... 

also just make it simple

He always knows the details about what had happened in the office
He always knows everything down to the smallest details in the office


----------



## samanthalee

zeg said:


> ins and outs...good enough...



I disagree. "Ins and outs" is not equivalent to 来龙去脉。We cannot use "ins and outs' in this particular case. "Ins and outs" is closer to "复杂细节" (the details of things) than "来龙去脉" (the history of things)

If we say "He knows the ins and outs of the office", it implies that he knows every notch and every mousehole in the office; it does not carry the meaning that he knows what's going on in the office.

We can say, "He knows the ins and outs of every administrative procedure" (他熟悉每个行政程序的复杂细节). 

Similarly, we can say "He knows the ins and outs of the project"(对企划案所有细节了如指掌) and "He knows everything that happened during the project meetings". We cannot say "He knows the ins and outs of the meeting". (But we can say "he knows the ins and outs of the meeting procedures" [他对开会程序了如指掌])

There is a case where "ins and outs" can be used to mean "来龙去脉", and that's when "来龙去脉" means "复杂细节". For example, "他知道董事会这次作出决定的来龙去脉。" (He knows the ins and outs of the board's decision.)



zeg said:


> He always knows the details about what had happened in the office
> He always knows everything down to the smallest details in the office


These 2 sentences are perfect for this case.


----------



## jeremy0714

来龙去脉 是一个成语
 来龙去脉 is idiom of chinese


----------



## patrick_socal

KYC said:


> Hi there:
> I wonder may I say :*He knows everything in* *the office backwards* if I want to say:他總知道辦公室裡每件事的來龍去脈
> Also, I wonder if it is idiomatic.
> Thanks for your help!



I am not sure about the correctness as a translation, but in the US you often hear people say "He knows everything in the office backwards and forwards."
I think "backwards and forwards" is a common expression meaning "he knows it thoroughly" or to be "extremely well informed about something".

I think to "know something backwards" is more British English.


----------



## KYC

Thanks for patrick_socal's input.


----------

