开宗明义

開宗明義

kāizōngmíngyì

idiom

Meanings

1 to state the main point at the very outset
2 to make one's purpose clear from the start
3 to come straight to the point

Characters

main doctrine; ancestral

meaning; principle

Examples

他开宗明义地说出了此次会议的目的。

Tā kāizōngmíngyì de shuōchū le cǐcì huìyì de mùdì.

He stated the purpose of the meeting plainly right at the start.

文章开宗明义，一开头就点明主题。

Wénzhāng kāizōngmíngyì, yī kāitóu jiù diǎnmíng zhǔtí.

The article comes straight to the point, making its theme clear from the opening.

Tips

history

Literally 'open the doctrine, make the meaning clear' — the title of the first chapter of the Classic of Filial Piety 《孝经》, where Confucius lays out his core thesis.

Stroke Order

开 kāi

宗 zōng

明 míng

义 yì