莫衷一是

mòzhōngyíshì
idiom #59,081

Meanings

  1. 1 unable to decide which (of several views) is right
  2. 2 opinions are divided; no consensus can be reached

Examples

HSK 6
Duìyú gǎigé fāng'àn, dàjiā yìlùn-fēnfēn, mòzhōngyíshì.
Opinions on the reform plan flew back and forth and no one could agree on the right path.
HSK 6
专家们对病因莫衷一是。
Zhuānjiāmen duì bìngyīn mòzhōngyíshì.
The experts couldn't reach any consensus on the cause of the illness.

Tips

history
From the late-Qing novel 《痛史》 by 吴趼人: 议论纷纷,莫衷一是 - the generals could not agree whether to defend, fight to the death, or flee. The chengyu has become standard for committee deadlock.
grammar
莫 = 'no one'; 衷 = 'to settle on'; 一是 = 'a single right answer.' Literally 'no one settles on the one right.' Use as a predicate after 对 + topic, or as a finishing comment.

Stroke Order

莫 mò
衷 zhōng
一 yī
是 shì