📖 Meaning
Describes writing or speech that uses concise language yet conveys the full meaning without omission. It praises a style where every word counts and nothing essential is left out. The idiom is often applied to legal texts, official documents, or well-crafted prose.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom appears in the 'Treatise on Criminal Law' section of the 'Draft History of Qing' (清史稿·刑法志一). Officials reviewing the Qing legal code noted that its provisions were adapted from the Tang Code (唐律) and that the original wording was concise yet complete in meaning. However, this very brevity made it prone to misinterpretation and error. To address this, the compilers added comprehensive annotations after each article to elucidate the legal intent. The phrase thus emerged from a context of legal scholarship and textual exegesis in imperial China.
💡 Example Usage
他的总结辞简义赅，三句话就把问题说透了。
His summary was concise yet complete — three sentences were enough to make the issue perfectly clear.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 辞简义赅
- Pinyin: cí jiǎn yì gāi
- Literal Translation: words, brief, meaning, complete
- Category: Clarity
- Characters: 4