要言不烦 — “To speak or write in a concise and direct manner”
要言不烦 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to speak or write in a concise and direct manner”. Getting straight to the point without unnecessary elaboration or verbosity. Literally, “essential words, not tedious”.
要言不烦 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 要yào
- 言yán
- 不bù
- 烦fán
要言不烦 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 要言不烦
Origin and Story of 要言不烦
During the Three Kingdoms period, Guan Lu, who served as Shao Fu Cheng (an official in charge of minor affairs) in the state of Wei, was renowned for his mastery of astronomy, geography, the I Ching, and divination. He Yan, the Minister of Personnel (Libu Shangshu), once invited Guan Lu to his residence.
There, his friend Mr. Deng asked Guan Lu to explain the profound principles of the I Ching. Guan Lu responded to their questions concisely and to the point, without any superfluous words. He then proceeded to perform a divination for both of them, and both readings revealed ominous signs.
Indeed, just ten days later, He Yan and Mr. Deng were both tragically executed by Sima Yi.
Idioms Related to 要言不烦
Antonyms of 要言不烦
More idioms starting with 要
- yào要jià价huán还jià价to bargain or haggle over prices
- yào要lì利dào盗míng名seek profit and steal fame
- yào要hǎo好chéng成qiàn歉Good intentions misunderstood, causing regret
- yào要chǒng宠zhào召huò祸Seeking favor invites calamity
- yào要hài害zhī之dì地a vital strategic location
- yào要hài害zhī之chù处vital or crucial point
- yào要sǐ死bù不huó活barely alive, listless, spiritless
- yào要sǐ死yào要huó活to make a big fuss
- yào要ér而yán言zhī之in short
- yào要ér而lùn论zhī之in short
- yào要yán言bù不fán繁concise and to the point
- yào要yán言miào妙dào道wise words and subtle principles
Questions about 要言不烦
- What does 要言不烦 mean?
- 要言不烦 (yào yán bù fán) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to speak or write in a concise and direct manner”.
- How do you pronounce 要言不烦?
- 要言不烦 is pronounced yào yán bù fán in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 要言不烦 literally mean?
- Literally, 要言不烦 means “essential words, not tedious”. It is used to mean “to speak or write in a concise and direct manner”.
- Where does 要言不烦 come from?
- 要言不烦 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 要言不烦?
- 要：简要；烦：烦琐。指说话或写文章简单扼要，不烦琐。