📖 Meaning
Opinions are so divided that no one can decide which side is correct. It describes a situation where people hold irreconcilably different views and no consensus can be reached. The character 衷 means 折中, or reaching a balanced judgment.
📜 Origin Story
This is a variant of the more common form 莫衷一是, with 没 (mò) written interchangeably for 莫, both meaning 'cannot'. The exact wording cited here comes from the modern essayist Guo Moruo (郭沫若, 1892–1978), who wrote in '一个伟大的教训' (A Great Lesson), collected in 盲肠炎 (Appendicitis), that among all the commentators he had seen and heard, opinions still remained 没衷一是. The underlying expression 莫衷一是 appears earlier in Qing-dynasty literature such as Wu Woyao's (吴趼人) novel 《痛史》, where generals argue over war plans with no single course agreed upon. Thus the idiom conveys being unable to reach a balanced verdict on which view is right.
💡 Example Usage
会上大家意见纷歧，没衷一是，一时难以定案。
At the meeting everyone's opinions were so divided that no consensus could be reached, making it hard to settle the matter for now.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 没衷一是
- Pinyin: mò zhōng yī shì
- Literal Translation: unable to, strike a balance, one, right
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4