Chinese word

一劳永逸

Pronunciation

Pinyinyī láo yǒng yì

Meaning

  • idiomsolve once and for all

Example

把这些小问题一劳永逸地处理掉吧。bǎ zhè xiē xiǎo wèn tí yì láo yǒng yì dì chú lǐ diào ba

Let's deal with these small problems once and for all.

Illustration for 一劳永逸 (solve once and for all)

More examples

公司需要一劳永逸地解决流程中的漏洞。gōng sī xū yào yì láo yǒng yì dì jiě jué liú chéng zhōng de lòu dòng

The company needs to fix the gaps in its processes once and for all.

Core concept

One carefully chosen action settles a recurring problem so that it needs no further work.

Common phrases

  • 一劳永逸地解决问题yì láo yǒng yì dì jiě jué wèn tí

    solve a problem once and for all

Similar words

亡羊补牢wáng yáng bǔ láo: Taking corrective action after a failure prevents the same failure from happening again.
迎刃而解yíng rèn ér jiě: A difficult problem becomes easy to solve after the proper approach is used.

Definition in Chinese

一次付出努力或做出一次彻底的处理，从此不再为同一问题操心或麻烦。yí cì fù chū nǔ lì huò zuò chū yí cì chè dǐ de chú lǐ cóng cǐ bú zài wèi tóng yí wèn tí cāo xīn huò má fán

Word origin

The four characters 一 (yī, "one"), 劳 (láo, "effort"), 永 (yǒng, "lasting"), and 逸 (yì, "ease") build the idea that one effort leads to enduring relief.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, it often describes a proposed solution, but it can sound exaggerated when no lasting result is guaranteed.

Other meanings

  • settle completelyidiom
  • fix at the rootidiom

Opposites

  • 治标不治本zhì biāo bú zhì běntreat symptoms without curing the root causeidiom

Word lists with this word