每天成语
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< 坚韧不拔争分夺秒 >

不言而喻

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

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

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.'

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

Idiom Essay

bù yán ér yù
不言而喻
Self-evident
wǒ men我们zǒng总jué de觉得，xiǎng yào想要ràng让bié rén别人míng bái明白zì jǐ自己de的yì si意思，jiù就yí dìng一定yào要bǎ把huà话shuō说chū lái出来。

We always feel that to make others understand our meaning, we must speak out.

yuè越qīng chǔ清楚yuè越hǎo好，yuè越xiáng xì详细yuè越hǎo好。

The clearer the better, the more detailed the better.

kě shì可是，nǐ你yǒu méi yǒu有没有jīng lì经历guò过zhè yàng这样de的shí kè时刻？

But have you ever experienced a moment like this?

míng míng明明fáng jiān房间lǐ里hěn很ān jìng安静，méi yǒu没有rén人kāi kǒu开口，dàn但suǒ yǒu rén所有人de的xīn lǐ心里，qí shí其实dōu都yǐ jīng已经yǒu有le了dá àn答案。

Even though the room is quiet and no one is speaking, everyone already has the answer in their hearts.

nà zhǒng那种qì fēn气氛，bǐ比rèn hé任何yǔ yán语言dōu都yào要qīng chǔ清楚。

That atmosphere is clearer than any language.

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zhuàng tài状态，jiào叫“bù yán ér yù不言而喻”。

In Chinese, there is an idiom specifically used to describe this state, called 不言而喻.

zhè ge这个cí词de的jié gòu结构hěn很jiǎn dān简单。

The structure of this word is very simple.

“yán言”shì是shuō huà说话，“yù喻”shì是míng bái明白、liǎo jiě了解。

言 means speaking, and 喻 means understanding or knowing.

lián连qǐ lái起来de的yì si意思jiù shì就是：bù yòng不用kāi kǒu开口shuō说，dà jiā大家zì rán自然jiù就míng bái明白le了。

The combined meaning is: without needing to speak, everyone naturally understands.

qǐng请zhù yì注意，zhè这hé和“bù xiǎng不想shuō说”huò zhě或者“bù gǎn不敢shuō说”wán quán完全bù tóng不同。

Please note, this is completely different from 'not wanting to speak' or 'not daring to speak'.

“bù yán ér yù不言而喻”miáo shù描述de的shì是yī zhǒng一种jí gāo极高de的qīng xī dù清晰度。

不言而喻 describes a state of extreme clarity.

tā它bú shì不是yīn wèi因为mó hú模糊ér而chén mò沉默，ér shì而是yīn wèi因为tài太qīng chǔ清楚le了，suǒ yǐ所以yǔ yán语言fǎn ér反而biàn dé变得duō yú多余。

It is not silence due to ambiguity, but because things are so clear that language becomes redundant.

wǒ men我们huì会zài在shén me shí hòu什么时候yòng用dào到tā它ne呢？

When do we use it?

wǎng wǎng往往shì是zài在qíng gǎn情感zuì最zhēn shí真实，huò zhě或者dào lǐ道理zuì最míng xiǎn明显de的shí hòu时候。

Often when emotions are most authentic or when the truth is most obvious.

xiǎng xiàng想象yī xià一下，liǎng两gè个bìng jiān zuò zhàn并肩作战duō nián多年de的lǎo péng yǒu老朋友，zài yí cì再一次wán chéng完成le了jiān nán艰难de的rèn wù任务。

Imagine two old friends who have fought side by side for years completing a difficult task once again.

tā men他们bù不xū yào需要hù xiāng互相wò shǒu握手shuō说“xiè xiè谢谢nǐ你de的pèi hé配合”，zhǐ只xū yào需要duì shì对视yī yǎn一眼，nà zhǒng那种xìn rèn信任hé和mò qì默契，jiù shì就是“bù yán ér yù不言而喻”de的。

They don't need to shake hands and say 'thank you for your cooperation'; they only need to look at each other, and that trust and chemistry is 不言而喻.

huò zhě或者，yí gè一个píng shí平时hěn很lǎn sǎn懒散de的rén人，tū rán突然kāi shǐ开始měi tiān每天zǎo qǐ早起dú shū读书。

Or, a person who is usually lazy suddenly starts waking up early to study every day.

suī rán虽然tā他méi yǒu没有fā shì发誓yào要gǎi biàn改变，dàn但tā他xiǎng yào想要biàn hǎo变好de的jué xīn决心，duì对páng guān zhě旁观者lái来shuō说，yě也shì是“bù yán ér yù不言而喻”de的。

Although he didn't vow to change, his determination to improve is also 不言而喻 to onlookers.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语qí shí其实zài在tí xǐng提醒wǒ men我们：yǔ yán语言suī rán虽然zhòng yào重要，dàn但tā它bìng并bú shì不是gōu tōng沟通de的quán bù全部。

This idiom actually reminds us: although language is important, it is not the entirety of communication.

yǒu shí hòu有时候，shì shí事实běn shēn本身de的lì liàng力量，bǐ比jiě shì解释gèng更qiáng dà强大；rén人yǔ与rén人zhī jiān之间de的gòng míng共鸣，bǐ比duì huà对话gèng更zhí jiē直接。

Sometimes, the power of facts themselves is stronger than explanations; the resonance between people is more direct than dialogue.

suǒ yǐ所以，xià cì下次dāng当nǐ你fā xiàn发现，zài在yí gè一个yǎn shén眼神、yí gè一个dòng zuò动作，huò zhě或者yī zhǒng一种fēn wéi氛围lǐ里，nǐ你yǐ jīng已经wán quán完全dú dǒng读懂le了duì fāng对方，ér而duì fāng对方yě也gāng hǎo刚好dǒng懂nǐ你shí时，nǐ你kě yǐ可以xiǎng shòu享受nà那fèn份ān jìng安静。

So, next time you find that in a look, a gesture, or an atmosphere, you have completely understood the other person, and they happen to understand you too, you can enjoy that silence.

yīn wèi因为nà zhǒng那种gǎn jué感觉，jiù shì就是“bù yán ér yù不言而喻”。

Because that feeling is 不言而喻.

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