不蔓不枝 — “To be concise and to the point”
不蔓不枝 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be concise and to the point”. To be clear and straightforward without unnecessary embellishment or complications, often used to describe speech or writing. Literally, “neither spreading nor branching”.
不蔓不枝 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 不bù
- 蔓màn
- 不bù
- 枝zhī
不蔓不枝 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 不蔓不枝
Origin and Story of 不蔓不枝
Among aquatic and terrestrial flowers, many are lovely. Tao Yuanming of the Jin Dynasty loved only chrysanthemums. Since the Tang Dynasty, people have greatly admired peonies.
But I alone love the lotus, for it grows out of mud yet remains untainted; it is washed by clear water yet appears not to be seductive.
Its stem is hollow within and straight without, neither spreading nor branching out (不蔓不枝). Its fragrance is even purer from afar. It stands tall and clean, to be admired from a distance, but not to be played with in one's hands.
Idioms Related to 不蔓不枝
Synonyms of 不蔓不枝
Antonyms of 不蔓不枝
More idioms starting with 不
- bù不yī一ér而zú足numerous and varied, impossible to list all
- bù不sān三bù不sì四improper or disreputable
- bù不shàng上bù不xià下stuck in an awkward position
- bù不shàng上bù不luò落in an awkward or embarrassing situation
- bù不shì世zhī之yè业unparalleled achievements
- bù不shì世zhī之chóu仇unrivaled enmity
- bù不shì世zhī之gōng功unparalleled achievement
- bù不shì世zhī之lüè略unparalleled strategy
- bù不sàng丧bǐ匕chàng鬯peace and order, rituals undisturbed
- bù不fēng丰bù不jiǎn俭neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不fēng丰bù不shā杀neither extravagant nor frugal
- bù不wèi为wǔ五dǒu斗mǐ米zhé折yāo腰Refuse to compromise integrity for meager gain
Questions about 不蔓不枝
- What does 不蔓不枝 mean?
- 不蔓不枝 (bù màn bù zhī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be concise and to the point”.
- How do you pronounce 不蔓不枝?
- 不蔓不枝 is pronounced bù màn bù zhī in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 不蔓不枝 literally mean?
- Literally, 不蔓不枝 means “neither spreading nor branching”. It is used to mean “to be concise and to the point”.
- Where does 不蔓不枝 come from?
- 不蔓不枝 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 不蔓不枝?
- 蔓：藤蔓，引伸为蔓延。既不蔓延，也不分支。比喻说话或写文章简明扼要，不拖泥带水。