束广就狭

shù guǎng jiù xiá
Literal: "bind, broad, approach, narrow"

📖 Meaning

This idiom describes the act of condensing rich or extensive content into very few words or a concise form. It emphasizes the skill of summarizing complex ideas succinctly without losing their essence.

📜 Origin Story

No specific historical origin is recorded for this idiom in classical sources. It likely emerged from the Chinese literary tradition, where conciseness was highly prized and scholars were expected to distill vast knowledge into pithy expressions. The idiom reflects the classical aesthetic ideal of achieving maximum meaning with minimum words.

💡 Example Usage

这篇文章束广就狭,用短短千字概括了百年历史。

This article condenses broad content into concise form, summarizing a century of history in just a thousand words.

🏷️ Category

➕ Similar Idioms

➖ Opposite Idioms

🔤 Quick Facts

  • Chinese: 束广就狭
  • Pinyin: shù guǎng jiù xiá
  • Literal Translation: bind, broad, approach, narrow
  • Category: Method
  • Characters: 4