不言而喻

1. Basic Information

• Pinyin: bù yán ér yù
• English Translation: Goes without saying (Self-evident)
• Idiom Composition: 「不」（Not (negation)）＋「言」（To speak or say）＋「而」（A conjunction used here to connect the lack of speech to the resulting understanding）＋「喻」（To understand, to be enlightened, or to be clear）
• Meaning: To be so obvious that no explanation is needed. It describes situations where the truth, logic, or feelings are naturally understood by everyone involved without being explicitly stated.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「不言而喻」 contains the following nuances:

• Emphasis on Redundancy of Explanation: The idiom carries a strong nuance that 'explanation is unnecessary' because the situation is either common sense or visible to the naked eye.
• Logical Inevitability: It is often used to bridge a cause and an effect, suggesting that given 'A', the result 'B' is the only logical conclusion.

3. Usage

「不言而喻」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

• Emphasizing Importance or Value: Used to state that the importance or influence of something is beyond dispute and obvious to all.
  • Example:「健康对于每个人的重要性是不言而喻的。」
    （The importance of health to everyone goes without saying.）
• Describing Emotions or Relationships: Used when feelings like joy or sorrow are so apparent on someone's face or in their actions that words are unnecessary.
  • Example:「看到久别的亲人，他激动的心情不言而喻。」
    （Seeing his long-lost relatives, his excitement spoke for itself.）
• Predicting Results: Used when a certain outcome is the natural and obvious consequence of a specific set of conditions.
  • Example:「如果不努力复习，考试的结果自然是不言而喻的。」
    （If you don't study hard, the exam results will be self-evident.）

Additional Examples:

1. 父母对子女的爱是不言而喻的。
   （Parents' love for their children goes without saying.）
2. 这次合作对双方都有利，其中的好处不言而喻。
   （This cooperation is beneficial to both parties, and the advantages are self-evident.）
3. 他在团队中的核心地位是不言而喻的。
   （His core position in the team goes without saying.）
4. 两者之间的差距不言而喻。
   （The gap between the two is self-evident.）
5. 这种做法的危险性不言而喻，大家都要小心。
   （The danger of this approach goes without saying, so everyone should be careful.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

• Origin: This idiom is derived from the Mencius (孟子), in the chapter Jin Xin I (尽心上). The original phrase was '四体不言而喻' (sì tǐ bù yán ér yù), which described how the virtues of a noble person (仁义礼智) naturally manifest in their physical posture and limbs without needing words.
• Style: It is a staple of formal written Chinese (书面语) and is frequently used in editorials, academic papers, and speeches to lend an air of authority and intellectual clarity to an argument.
• Structure: The construction of 'Not speak' (不言) + 'and yet' (而) + 'understood' (喻) follows classical Chinese grammatical patterns, providing a concise and sophisticated rhythm.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

• Similar Idioms:
  • 显而易见 (xiǎn ér yì jiàn): Obvious and easy to see; clear to the eye.link
  • 不言自明 (bù yán zì míng): Self-explanatory; something that is clear without needing to be told.
  • 理所当然 (lǐ suǒ dāng rán): It is natural and right for something to happen or be the case.link
• Opposite Idioms:
  • 扑朔迷离 (pū shuò mí lí): Complicated and confusing, making the truth difficult to discern.
  • 模棱两可 (mó léng liǎng kě): Ambiguous or equivocal; taking an unclear stance between two options.link
  • 不得而知 (bù dé ér zhī): Unable to know or ascertain.link
  • 莫名其妙 (mò míng qí miào): Something is baffling or inexplicable.link

6. Summary

不言而喻 (bù yán ér yù) is a formal idiom used to describe facts or principles that are so clear they require no verbal explanation. It is frequently used to emphasize that a certain importance, consequence, or emotion is **self-evident**. In English, it is most closely translated as 'it goes without saying' or 'speaks for itself.'