諺語 · a single proverb
一言難盡
Simplified: 一言难尽
What does 一言難盡 (yī yán nán jìn) mean?
一言難盡 (yī yán nán jìn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "one word cannot exhaust it." In use it means: A situation too complex to explain briefly; some stories resist summary because their truth lives in the details. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Goat.
Literally: "one word cannot exhaust it."
The reading
They asked how it went and you opened your mouth and closed it again. Not because you have nothing to say, but because what you have to say would take hours, and even then, the hours would not carry the feeling of the thing. Some experiences can only be understood by living them, and the most honest answer to how was it is sometimes: I cannot explain it in a way that fits.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common literary expression; appears across Song-Yuan vernacular texts
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Goat, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 一言難盡 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 一言難盡 (yī yán nán jìn) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Common literary expression; appears across Song-Yuan vernacular texts. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 一言難盡?
In Mandarin it is yī yán nán jìn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 一言難盡 aloud in Mandarin.