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简练 (jiǎn liàn) — concise, succinct, terse (of writing or speech)

Definition

简练 emphasizes that no words are wasted, often with a sense of polish or force — stronger than 简洁 ('pithy/neat') and 简短 ('just short in length'). Use it for writing or speech that is both compact and effective.

adjective
concisesuccinctterse (of writing or speech)

Examples

  • 简练。
    Zhè piān bào gào de yòng yǔ shí fēn jiǎn liàn.
    The wording of this report is very concise.
  • 简练。
    Tā zhǐ yòng sān jù huà jiù bǎ shì qing shuō dé hěn jiǎn liàn.
    He explained the matter succinctly in just three sentences.
  • 简练。
    Hǎo de yǎn jiǎng gǎo yīng gāi jiǎn liàn yǒu lì.
    A good speech should be concise and powerful.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

简jiǎnconcise
练liànrefined

“简” means simple or concise, and “练” means refined; together they describe terse, polished expression.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 簡; 简 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
竹竹zhú
Sound part声符shēngfú
間
閒xián簡jiǎn
Same sound today

In the traditional form 簡, 竹 (bamboo) is paired with 間 (also written 閒) as a sound part; the simplified 简 is a later shorthand.

Open 简 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 練; 练 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
柬
柬jiǎn練liàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 練 has 糸, silk, and 柬, which gives the sound. The simplified 练 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not historical.

Open 练 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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