微言大义

微言大義

wēiyán-dàyì

idiom

Meanings

1 subtle words carrying profound meaning
2 concise statements of deep import

Characters

meaning; righteousness

Examples

HSK 3

不要只看字面，要体会其中的微言大义。

Bùyào zhǐ kàn zìmiàn, yào tǐhuì qízhōng de wēiyán-dàyì.

Don't just look at the surface - feel out the deeper meaning within.

HSK 7-9

《春秋》一书，被认为字字都是微言大义。

《 Chūnqiū 》 yī shū, bèi rènwéi zìzì dōu shì wēiyán-dàyì.

The Spring and Autumn Annals is considered to contain profound meaning in every character.

HSK 7-9

老师寥寥数语，却饱含微言大义。

Lǎoshī liáoliáo shù yǔ, què bǎohán wēiyán-dàyì.

The teacher spoke only a few words, yet they carried profound meaning.

Tips

history

From 刘歆's Han-dynasty letter to the Grand Academicians: 'once Confucius died, his subtle words were lost (夫子殁而微言绝).' Traditionally, Confucius was said to embed moral judgements in the sparse phrasing of the 春秋 - hence 微言大义.

Stroke Order

微 wēi

言 yán

大 dà

义 yì