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断章取义

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: duàn zhāng qǔ yì
  • English Translation: Taking things out of context
  • Idiom Composition: 「断」（To break off, sever, or cut.）＋「章」（A chapter, section, or a stanza of a poem.）＋「取」（To take, extract, or adopt.）＋「义」（Meaning, intent, or significance.）
  • Meaning: To isolate a segment of a text or speech from its original context and interpret it in a way that distorts the original meaning, often to suit one's own agenda. In modern usage, it is a critical term used to condemn intellectual dishonesty or media manipulation.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「断章取义」 contains the following nuances:

  • Ignoring Context: This refers to the act of extracting a single sentence or phrase without considering the surrounding text or background, which results in a meaning entirely different from the speaker's true intent.
  • Intentional Distortion: Unlike a simple misunderstanding, this idiom often implies a deliberate attempt to twist meanings to justify one's own position or to unfairly attack an opponent.

3. Usage

「断章取义」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Media and Journalism: Used to criticize media outlets that extract small portions of an interview or report to create sensationalist headlines that mislead the public.
    • Example:「这家媒体经常断章取义，误导读者。」
      （This media outlet often takes things out of context to mislead its readers.)
  • Arguments and Debates: Used as a rebuttal when an opponent focuses on a single phrase to attack you, ignoring the overall point you were making.
    • Example:「请你不要断章取义，听我把话说完。」
      （Please don't quote me out of context; let me finish what I was saying.)
  • Academic Study and Reading: A warning against focusing on isolated sentences in classical or theoretical works without understanding the broader historical or textual background.
    • Example:「理解经典著作不能断章取义，必须结合当时的时代背景。」
      （To understand classic works, one must not interpret them out of context but must consider the historical background of the time.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 网络上的谣言往往是通过断章取义的方式传播的。
    （Online rumors are often spread by taking information out of context.）
  2. 他指责对方断章取义，歪曲了他的原意。
    （He accused the other party of quoting him out of context and distorting his original intent.）
  3. 如果不看全文只看标题，很容易断章取义。
    （If you only read the headlines without the full text, it is easy to misinterpret things out of context.）
  4. 这种断章取义的做法是不负责任的。
    （This practice of taking words out of context is irresponsible.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Origin: This idiom comes from the Commentary of Zuo (左传), specifically the 28th year of Duke Xiang (襄公二十八年).
  • Historical Context: Originally, 断章取义 (duàn zhāng qǔ yì) was not a negative term. It described a sophisticated diplomatic practice where officials would quote stanzas from the Book of Songs (诗经) to elegantly express their own thoughts or intentions during meetings.
  • Evolution of Meaning: Over centuries, the focus shifted from the 'creative expression' aspect to the 'ignoring the original source' aspect. In modern Chinese, it is used almost 100% pejoratively to describe distortion, misinterpretation, or 'cherry-picking' in media and debate.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

断章取义 (duàn zhāng qǔ yì) is a four-character idiom used to criticize the act of cherry-picking words while ignoring their surrounding context. While it originated as a sophisticated diplomatic technique for quoting poetry, it is now used almost exclusively to describe the unfair distortion of someone's words, similar to the English concept of "quoting out of context."

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Pre-Level 1

Idiom Essay

duàn zhāng qǔ yì
断章取义
Taking Out of Context
nǐ你yǒu méi yǒu有没有yù dào遇到guò过zhè yàng这样yī zhǒng一种lìng rén令人wú nài无奈de的qíng kuàng情况？

Have you ever encountered such a frustrating situation?

nǐ你míng míng明明shuō说le了yī dà duàn一大段huà话，jiě shì解释dé得hěn很qīng chǔ清楚、hěn很wán zhěng完整。

You clearly said a long passage, explaining everything very clearly and completely.

kě shì可是，chuán传dào到bié rén别人ěr duǒ耳朵lǐ里，què却zhǐ只shèng xià剩下yī liǎng jù一两句。

However, when it reaches other people's ears, only one or two sentences remain.

gèng更zāo gāo糟糕de的shì是，zhè这yī一liǎng jù两句yīn wèi因为shī qù失去le了shàng xià wén上下文，yì si意思wán quán完全biàn变le了。

Worse still, because these one or two sentences have lost their context, the meaning changes completely.

yě xǔ也许nǐ你yuán běn原本shì是zài在fēn xī分析yí gè一个wèn tí问题de的liǎng miàn xìng两面性，jié guǒ结果bié rén别人zhǐ只zhāi qǔ摘取le了pī píng批评de的nà那yí bàn一半，shuō说nǐ你zài在bào yuàn抱怨。

Perhaps you were originally analyzing two sides of an issue, but others only picked the critical half and said you were complaining.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个chéng yǔ成语zhuān mén专门yòng lái用来xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种zuò fǎ做法，jiào叫“duàn zhāng qǔ yì断章取义”。

In Chinese, there is an idiom specifically used to describe this practice, called 断章取义.

zhè这sì gè四个zì字，huà miàn画面gǎn感hěn很qiáng强。

These four characters have a very strong sense of imagery.

“duàn zhāng断章”，jiù shì就是bǎ把yuán běn原本wán zhěng完整de的yī piān一篇wén zhāng文章huò或yī duàn一段huà话，cóng从zhōng jiān中间jié duàn截断；“qǔ yì取义”，jiù shì就是zhǐ只xuǎn qǔ选取zì jǐ自己xū yào需要de的nà那yì diǎn一点yì si意思。

断章 means to cut off a section from an originally complete article or passage; 取义 means to only select the specific meaning that one needs.

jiù就xiàng像shì是yòng用jiǎn dāo剪刀qù去jiǎn cái剪裁yī zhāng一张zhào piān照片。

It is like using scissors to crop a photo.

yuán běn原本de的zhào piān照片lǐ里，liǎng gè两个rén人kě néng可能zhèng zài正在jī liè激烈dì地biàn lùn辩论；dàn但rú guǒ如果nǐ你zhǐ只jiǎn剪xià下qí zhōng其中yí gè一个rén人de的biǎo qíng表情，tā他kě néng可能kàn qǐ lái看起来jiù就xiàng像shì是zài在wú yuán wú gù无缘无故dì地fā pí qì发脾气。

In the original photo, two people might be having a heated debate; but if you only cut out the expression of one person, they might look like they are losing their temper for no reason.

jiǎn xià lái剪下来de的bù fèn部分shì是zhēn shí真实de的ma吗？

Is the cropped part real?

shì是de的，nà ge那个biǎo qíng表情què shí确实cún zài存在。

Yes, that expression indeed existed.

dàn但tā它dài biǎo代表le了zhēn xiàng真相ma吗？

But does it represent the truth?

wán quán完全bú shì不是。

Not at all.

wǒ men我们zài在shēng huó生活zhōng中tīng dào听到“duàn zhāng qǔ yì断章取义”zhè ge这个cí词shí时，tōng cháng通常dōu都dài带zhe着yī zhǒng一种jǐng tì警惕gǎn感。

When we hear the term 断章取义 in our lives, we usually feel a sense of vigilance.

yīn wèi因为tā它wǎng wǎng往往bèi被yòng lái用来zhì zào制造wù jiě误解。

Because it is often used to create misunderstandings.

tè bié特别shì是zài在xiàn zài现在，dà jiā大家dōu都hěn很máng忙，xí guàn习惯kàn看duǎn shì pín短视频、kàn看biāo tí标题。

Especially nowadays, everyone is very busy and used to watching short videos and reading headlines.

wǒ men我们méi yǒu没有nài xīn耐心qù去tīng wán听完yí gè一个rén人wán zhěng完整de的fā yán发言，yě也méi yǒu没有shí jiān时间qù去liǎo jiě了解shì qíng事情de的qián yīn hòu guǒ前因后果。

We don't have the patience to listen to someone's complete speech, nor the time to understand the cause and effect of a matter.

zhè shí hòu这时候，zuì最róng yì容易fā shēng发生de的shì qíng事情，jiù shì就是“duàn zhāng qǔ yì断章取义”。

At such times, the most likely thing to happen is 断章取义.

yī jù一句wán xiào huà玩笑话，kě néng可能bèi被dàng chéng当成yán sù严肃de的gōng jī攻击；yí gè一个jiǎ shè xìng假设性de的guān diǎn观点，kě néng可能bèi被dàng chéng当成zuì zhōng最终de的jié lùn结论。

A joke might be taken as a serious attack; a hypothetical viewpoint might be taken as a final conclusion.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语qí shí其实zài在tí xǐng提醒wǒ men我们：hěn很duō多shí hòu时候，“bù fèn部分”bìng并bù不děng yú等于“zhěng tǐ整体”。

This idiom is actually reminding us: many times, the 'part' does not equal the 'whole'.

dāng当yī duàn一段huà话lí kāi离开le了tā它yuán běn原本de的huán jìng环境，tā它jiù就xiàng像yī tiáo一条lí kāi离开shuǐ水de的yú鱼，shì是huó bù xià qù活不下去de的。

When a passage leaves its original environment, it is like a fish out of water and cannot survive.

suǒ yǐ所以，xià cì下次dāng当nǐ你tīng dào听到yī jù一句ràng让nǐ你jué de觉得bù kě sī yì不可思议、huò zhě或者fēi cháng非常jí duān极端de的yán lùn言论shí时，xiān先bú yào不要jí zhe急着shēng qì生气，yě也bú yào不要jí zhe急着xiāng xìn相信。

So, next time you hear a statement that seems unbelievable or very extreme, don't be quick to get angry or believe it.

yě xǔ也许nǐ你kě yǐ可以wèn问yī wèn一问：“zhè这jù句huà话shì是zài在shén me什么qíng kuàng情况xià下shuō说de的？tā它de的qián hòu wén前后文shì是shén me什么？”

Perhaps you can ask: 'Under what circumstances was this said? What was the context?'

jù jué拒绝“duàn zhāng qǔ yì断章取义”，qí shí其实jiù shì就是jù jué拒绝fū qiǎn肤浅，qù去yōng bào拥抱nà ge那个gèng更fù zá复杂、dàn但yě也gèng更zhēn shí真实de的wán zhěng完整shì jiè世界。

To refuse 断章取义 is actually to refuse superficiality and to embrace that more complex, but also more real, complete world.

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