📖 Meaning
To sum up the main point in a nutshell; to put it succinctly and get straight to the core. It is used when one wishes to cut through details and deliver a concise conclusion or summary.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from Lu Ji (陆机), a prominent writer and literary theorist of the Western Jin Dynasty, in his essay 'Discourse on the Five Ranks' (《五等论》). In the text, Lu Ji compares the feudal five-rank system with the centralized commandery-county system, arguing that feudal lords govern for their own people's welfare while county officials work for personal gain. He then uses '要而言之' to encapsulate his argument concisely. The phrase was later adopted broadly as a rhetorical device for summarization in classical Chinese prose.
💡 Example Usage
要而言之，这次改革的核心在于放权与监督并重。
To put it succinctly, the core of this reform lies in balancing decentralization with oversight.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 要而言之
- Pinyin: yào ér yán zhī
- Literal Translation: essentially, thus, speaking, it
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4