莫衷一是

mòzhōngyīshì
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

Duìyú gǎigé fāng'àn, dàjiā yìlùn fēnfēn, mòzhōngyīshì.
Opinions on the reform plan flew back and forth and no one could agree on the right path.
Zhuānjiāmen duì bìngyīn mòzhōngyīshì.
The experts couldn't reach any consensus on the cause of the illness.

Tips

history
From the late-Qing novel《》by Wu Jianren: 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
= 'no one'; = 'to settle on'; = 'a single right answer.' Literally 'no one settles on the one right.' Use as a predicate after + topic, or as a finishing comment.

Stroke Order

zhōng
shì