📖 Meaning
Not leaving any room or margin. It describes speech or actions that leave no room for compromise or retreat. Often used to criticize someone for being too absolute or harsh.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Qing dynasty scholar Ji Yun's work 'Yuewei Caotang Biji' (Notes from the Thatched Abode of Close Observations), Volume 11. In the text, a fox spirit is described as having eyes as clear as a mirror, but its words were too sharp, leaving no room for maneuver. Ji Yun used this to comment on the fox's uncompromising rhetoric. The expression has since become a common idiom for describing behavior that allows no flexibility.
💡 Example Usage
他批评下属时不留余地，让对方下不了台。
He criticized his subordinate without leaving any room for face-saving, putting the person in an embarrassing position.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 不留余地
- Pinyin: bù liú yú dì
- Literal Translation: not, leave, room, ground
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4