Chinese word

一目了然

Pronunciation

Pinyinyī mù liǎo rán

Meaning

  • idiomobvious at first glance

Example

这个问题一目了然。zhè ge wèn tí yí mù liǎo rán

This problem is obvious at first glance.

Illustration for 一目了然 (obvious at first glance)

More examples

他的解释让复杂的问题一目了然。tā de jiě shì ràng fù zá de wèn tí yí mù liǎo rán

His explanation made the complex problem easy to understand at a glance.

Core concept

Important information stands out immediately from what is presented, so the conclusion needs little effort to find.

Common phrases

  • 一目了然的结论yí mù liǎo rán de jié lùn

    a conclusion clear at a glance

  • 一目了然地看出yí mù liǎo rán dì kàn chū

    recognize clearly at a glance

  • 一目了然的图表yí mù liǎo rán de tú biǎo

    a chart clear at a glance

Similar words

显而易见xiǎn ér yì jiàn: Can be seen clearly and understood without much effort.
不言而喻bù yán ér yù: Is understood without being explained because its meaning is already clear.

Definition in Chinese

一看就能看出要点或结论，内容很快变得清楚明白。yí kàn jiù néng kàn chū yào diǎn huò jié lùn nèi róng hěn kuài biàn de qīng chǔ míng bái

Word origin

一 (yī, "one") + 目 (mù, "look") suggests one look, while 了 (liǎo, "understood") + 然 (rán, "so") expresses a state of clear understanding, joining quick seeing with full clarity.

Usage tips

  • The idiom can follow a noun phrase as a compact judgment, but it does not necessarily mean that every detail is simple or needs no explanation.

Other meanings

  • clear to everyoneidiom

Opposites

Related words

  • 一目了然地yí mù liǎo rán dìplainly at a glanceadverb

Word lists with this word