切中要害

qièzhòngyàohài

idiom

Meanings

1 to strike right at the vital point
2 to hit the nail on the head
3 to target the real issue

Characters

to close in on; to touch

to hit (a target)

vital; essential

crucial point; weak spot

Examples

他的批评切中要害，让对方哑口无言。

Tā de pīpíng qièzhòngyàohài, ràng duìfāng yǎkǒuwúyán.

His criticism hit the mark so squarely it left the other side speechless.

这篇分析切中要害，抓住了问题的核心。

Zhè piān fēnxī qièzhòngyàohài, zhuāzhù le wèntí de héxīn.

This analysis cuts to the core of the problem.

老板一句话切中要害，会议立刻回到正题。

Lǎobǎn yī jù huà qièzhòngyàohài, huìyì lìkè huí dào zhèngtí.

With one incisive remark the boss steered the meeting straight back to the point.

Tips

usage

Used for incisive remarks, criticism, or analysis. Compare 一针见血 (also "hit the nail on the head," often more diagnostic) and 一语中的 (nail it in a single phrase). 切 here reads qiè, meaning "to cut into."

mistakes

中 reads zhòng (to hit), not zhōng. 切 reads qiè (to be close / to cut), not qiē (to slice). The whole phrase is about precision, not butchery.

Stroke Order

切 qiē

中 zhōng

要 yào

害 hài