Chinese word

简要

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiǎn yào

Meaning

  • adjectivebrief

Example

请给出一个简要的总结。qǐng gěi chū yí gè jiǎn yào de zǒng jié

Please give a brief summary.

Illustration for 简要 (brief)

More examples

请对本次会议的决定做出简要说明。qǐng duì běn cì huì yì de jué dìng zuò chū jiǎn yào shuō míng

Please give a brief explanation of the decision made at this meeting.

Core concept

The essential message remains visible after unnecessary detail is removed.

Common phrases

  • 简要说明jiǎn yào shuō míng

    brief explanation

  • 简要总结jiǎn yào zǒng jié

    brief summary

Similar words

扼要è yào: Summarizes the key matters directly, leaving out less important details.
简洁jiǎn jié: Removes unnecessary wording so the expression stays neat and readable.
简明jiǎn míng: Makes the meaning easy to understand through clear, straightforward wording.
简短jián duǎn: Is limited in length or duration and does not take long to finish.

Definition in Chinese

以简短扼要的方式陈述主要观点或结论，不作冗长说明。yǐ jián duǎn è yào de fāng shì chén shù zhǔ yào guān diǎn huò jié lùn bú zuò rǒng cháng shuō míng

Word origin

简 (jiǎn, "concise") + 要 (yào, "important") pairs economy of expression with importance, which explains why the word describes both limited detail and a clear focus.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, it often signals that only the main information is wanted, while a fuller account can follow separately.

Other meanings

  • clear and simpleadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 简要性jiǎn yào xìngbrevitynoun
  • 简要版jiǎn yào bǎnabridged versionnoun

Word lists with this word