sum up in a word; in a nutshell
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to sum up in a word; to summarize briefly; in a nutshell
formalOriginally from the Analects of Confucius (《论语·为政》). Used to introduce a concise summary of a complex situation or lengthy discussion. Typically placed at the beginning of a sentence as a cohesive device.
Yī一
yán言
yǐ以
bì蔽
zhī之
，
zhè这
jiù就
shì是
gè个
piàn骗
jú局
。
In a nutshell, this is a scam.
Tā他
men们
de的
guān观
diǎn点
hěn很
duō多
，
dàn但
yī一
yán言
yǐ以
bì蔽
zhī之
，
jiù就
shì是
fǎn反
duì对
zhè这
gè个
jì计
huà划
。
They have many opinions, but to sum up in a word, they are against this plan.
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《
Shī诗
jīng经
》
sān三
bǎi百
piān篇
，
yī一
yán言
yǐ以
bì蔽
zhī之
，
yuē曰
：
Sī思
wú无
xié邪
。
The three hundred poems of the Book of Songs can be summed up in one phrase: thoughts without depravity.