一面之词

一面之詞

yīmiànzhīcí

idiom

Meanings

1 one side of the story
2 a one-sided statement
3 only one party's version of events

Characters

classical possessive particle (of)

words, statement

Examples

不能只听一面之词就下结论。

Bù néng zhǐ tīng yīmiànzhīcí jiù xià jiélùn.

You can't draw a conclusion from only one side of the story.

法官审案时从不偏信一面之词。

Fǎguān shěn àn shí cóng bù piānxìn yīmiànzhīcí.

When hearing a case, a judge never blindly trusts just one side's account.

她被他的一面之词蒙骗了。

Tā bèi tā de yīmiànzhīcí méngpiàn le.

She was deceived by his one-sided account.

Tips

history

From 《三国演义》 Chapter 105, where a minister warns the emperor: 今日若听此一面之词，杨仪等必投魏矣 — 'if Your Majesty listens to only this one side's words, Yang Yi and the others will certainly defect to Wei.' The phrase has stayed fixed in legal and journalistic discourse.

usage

Almost always paired with verbs like 听 (listen to), 偏信 (believe one-sidedly), 轻信 (rashly trust). Stock phrase for journalism, law, and interpersonal disputes.

Stroke Order

一 yī

面 miàn

之 zhī

词 cí