📖 Meaning
It means to strike the very heart of a matter with a single sentence, expressing the crux of an issue with precision and economy. The character 的 (dì) refers to the center of an archery target, so the phrase figuratively describes speech that goes straight to the essential point.
📜 Origin Story
The recorded usage comes from the essay 《家庭主义与民族主义》 (Familism and Nationalism) by the modern poet and scholar Wen Yiduo (闻一多, 1899–1946). In it, he observes that the old saying '忠孝不能两全' (loyalty and filial piety cannot both be fulfilled) truly hits the point — '真正一语破的了'. The word 的 (dì) denotes the bullseye of an archery target, so the idiom pictures one sentence piercing straight to the center of an issue. Though this documented instance belongs to the Republican era, the imagery of a single word striking the target's center draws on the classical rhetorical ideal of speech that is concise yet decisive.
💡 Example Usage
你刚才那句评价一语破的，直接点出了问题的要害。
Your remark just now hit the nail on the head and directly pointed out the crux of the problem.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 一语破的
- Pinyin: yī yǔ pò dì
- Literal Translation: one, sentence, hits, the bullseye
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4