目不识丁

jiù zhōng guó hěn duō rén mù bù shí dīng

旧中国很多人目不识丁。

In the old China, there were many people who were completely illiterate.

yī pèng dào cǎi piào jí shǐ shì mù bù shí dīng de rén yě sì hū yùn suàn xián shú jì yì jīng rén

一碰到彩票，即使是目不识丁的人也似乎运算娴熟，记忆惊人。

Where the Lottery was concerned, even people who could barely read and write seemed capable of intricate calculations and staggering feats of memory.