百虑一致

bǎi lǜ yī zhì
Literal: "hundred, considerations, one, conclusion"

📖 Meaning

Through a hundred different deliberations, one arrives at a single unified conclusion. It describes how diverse lines of thought and reasoning ultimately converge to the same outcome or principle, despite differing approaches.

📜 Origin Story

This idiom originates from the Xi Ci (Commentary on the Appended Phrases) chapter of the I Ching (Book of Changes), a foundational classic from the Zhou Dynasty. The original passage states that though people of the world may deliberate in countless ways, they ultimately reach the same conclusion through different paths. The phrase was later employed in the History of the Northern Dynasties (Bei Shi) in the essay commentary on Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei, praising how despite the overwhelming complexity of state affairs under his rule, all his deliberations converged toward consistent and unified purposes.

💡 Example Usage

虽各自思虑不同,最终却百虑一致。

Though each person deliberated from a different angle, they ultimately arrived at the same conclusion.

🏷️ Category

➕ Similar Idioms

➖ Opposite Idioms

🔤 Quick Facts

  • Chinese: 百虑一致
  • Pinyin: bǎi lǜ yī zhì
  • Literal Translation: hundred, considerations, one, conclusion
  • Category: Philosophy
  • Characters: 4