简而言之 (jiǎn ér yán zhī) — in short, in brief, to put it simply

Definition

A written idiom meaning 'in short / to put it briefly' — used to summarize what was just said, more formal than 总的来说 and similar to 简来说.

idiom

in shortin briefto put it simply

简而言之，。
jiǎn ér yán zhī, Zhè ge xiàng mù xū yào gèng duō de shí jiān hé zī jīn.
In short, this project needs more time and funding.
，简而言之，。
Tā de yǎn jiǎng nèi róng hěn duō, jiǎn ér yán zhī, jiù shì qiáng diào tuán duì hé zuò.
His speech had a lot of content; in short, it emphasized teamwork.
简而言之，。
jiǎn ér yán zhī, Wǒ men bù néng hū shì zhè ge wèn tí de zhòng yào xìng.
In short, we cannot ignore the importance of this issue.

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.

竹間簡

Meaning part形符xíngfú

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.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 而 is a picture of a beard.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The early form of 言 shows an opening and a mark indicating a location; the location is not described as the source of speech.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape pairs 止, a foot, with 一, a beginning place, and means to go.

Appears in