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簡明扼要

简简明扼要 · 繁簡明扼要

Mandarin · pinyin jiǎn míng è yào

brief and to the point (idiom)
succinct

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Characters in this entry

簡: Look up this written character
明: míng · bright, light, brilliant; clear
扼: è · grasp, clutch; choke, strangle
要: yào · necessary, essential; necessity
简: jiǎn · simple, terse, succinct, a letter

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–2–4–4 · jian3 ming2 e4 yao4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

簡明扼要 · find source passages ↗ · 简明扼要 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(of speech or writing) brief, clear, and to the point; concise; succinct

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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