一览无余

一覽無餘

yīlǎnwúyú

idiom #31,071

Meanings

1 to take in everything at a glance
2 panoramic view
3 (of writing) plain and without depth

Characters

to view; to look at

remainder; leftover

Examples

站在山顶上，整个城市一览无余。

Zhàn zài shāndǐng shàng, zhěnggè chéngshì yīlǎnwúyú.

Standing on the mountain top, the entire city is visible at a glance.

这篇文章写得一览无余，没什么深度。

Zhè piān wénzhāng xiě de yīlǎnwúyú, méi shénme shēndù.

This article is entirely on the surface — it lacks depth.

Tips

history

From Liu Yiqing's 《世说新语·言语》 (Southern dynasties, 5th c.): the Jiangnan region was said to be 「一览而尽」 — 'taken in at one glance' — too flat to be interesting, prompting scholars to prefer winding landscapes. The phrase carries both the literal visual sense and a lingering critical one (too obvious, no depth).

usage

Neutral or complimentary for landscape views, but mildly critical when applied to writing, design, or plans — implying a lack of subtlety.

Stroke Order

一 yī

览 lǎn

无 wú

余 yú