不外乎 () — nothing more than, boils down to, not beyond the scope of

Definition

A formal written phrase meaning 'boils down to' or 'nothing more than' — used to summarize or limit something to a small set of possibilities (often followed by a number: 不外乎两点).

verb
nothing more thanboils down tonot beyond the scope of

Examples

  • 不外乎
    Tā shī bài de yuán yīn bú nà jǐ zhǒng: bú gòu nǔ lì, fāng fǎ bú duì, yùn qì bù hǎo.
    The reasons for his failure boil down to a few: not working hard enough, wrong method, and bad luck.
  • 不外乎
    Wèn tí de hé xīn bú yí gè: rú hé tí gāo xiào lǜ.
    The core of the problem is nothing more than one thing: how to improve efficiency.
  • 不外乎
    Zhè xiē jiàn yì de nèi róng bú liǎng diǎn: jié yuē chéng běn hé tí gāo zhì liàng.
    The content of these suggestions boils down to two points: cutting costs and improving quality.

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