一针见血

yī zhèn jiàn xiě

  • Meaning

    Literal

    See blood after a needle prick

    Usage

    To pierce to the heart of a matter with a single concise comment

  • Connotation

    Positive

  • Usage Examples

    你最后的评论真是一针见血 | Nǐ zuìhòu de pínglùn zhēn shi yīzhēnjiànxiě
    The last observation of yours hit the nail on the head
    [Source]

    他平时虽然少说话,但发言时总能一针见血地指出问题所在 | Tā píngshí suīrán shǎo shuōhuà, dàn fāyán shí zǒng néng yīzhēnjiànxiě de zhǐchū wèntí suǒzài
    Though he doesn't often speak, when he does, he always cuts straight to the heart of what the issue is
    [Source]

  • Equivalents

    English

    To hit the nail on the head

    To cut to the heart of the matter

    Chinese

    None

  • Entry Notes

    Note that 血 is pronounced as xiě, not xuè

  • Origin

    《后汉书》(Hòu Hàn Shū, "History of the Eastern Han") by 范晔 (Fàn Yè)

  • Story

    This chengyu is from a line in the work listed in the "Origin" section above

  • Citations and Helpful Resources

    • 汉语成语小词典 (hànyǔ chéngyǔ xiǎo cídiǎn)
    • 现代汉语规范词典 (xiàndài hànyǔ guīfàn cídiǎn)
    • 多功能成语词典 (duō gōngnéng chéngyǔ cídiǎn)
    • 汉语大词典 (hànyǔ dà cídiǎn)
    • ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary
    • Pleco Basic Chinese-English Dictionary
    • 百度百科[x]