只言片语 (zhǐ yán piàn yǔ) — a few words; fragmentary remarks; a brief, incomplete statement
Definition
A set phrase meaning 'a few scattered words' — fragmentary speech or writing, never a full account. Conveys that what was said is incomplete and unreliable as evidence.
idiom
a few wordsfragmentary remarksa briefincomplete statement
Examples
- 只言片语，。Tā zǒu zhī qián zhī liú xià zhǐ yán piàn yǔ, shuí yě bù zhī dào tā qù le nǎ lǐ.He left only a few words before leaving; nobody knows where he went.
- 只言片语，。Wǒ cóng tā men de duì huà zhōng zhī tīng dào zhǐ yán piàn yǔ, méi fǎ pàn duàn fā shēng le shén me.I only caught fragments of their conversation and couldn't tell what happened.
- ，只言片语。Zhè piān wén zhāng xiě dé hán hu bù qīng, zhǐ yǒu zhǐ yán piàn yǔ kě yǐ lǐ jiě.This article is vague and unclear; only a few isolated words are understandable.
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