📖 Meaning
Reading ten lines of text at a single glance. It describes someone who reads extremely quickly, taking in many lines of text simultaneously. Often used to praise a person's exceptional reading speed and sharp comprehension.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to the Book of Liang (梁书), which records that Emperor Jianwen of the Liang Dynasty was so gifted that he could read ten lines at once as a child. The Song Dynasty poet Liu Kezhuang later used the exact phrase '一目十行读书' in his verse 'Miscellaneous Six-Character Notes,' cementing it as a set expression. Over the centuries it became a standard way to describe a prodigy or scholar capable of devouring books at remarkable speed.
💡 Example Usage
他天赋过人，读书一目十行，一天就能看完一本厚书。
He was so gifted that he could read ten lines at a glance, finishing a thick book in a single day.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 一目十行
- Pinyin: yī mù shí háng
- Literal Translation: one, eye, ten, lines
- Category: Skill
- Characters: 4