只言片语 zhī yán piàn yǔ a few words

Explanation

指零星的话语；少量的话。

Refers to scattered words and phrases; a small amount of words.

Origin Story

一位饱经沧桑的老人，坐在公园的长椅上，静静地回忆着过去。年轻时，他漂泊在外，四处奔波，为了生计，不得不四处打工。那时通讯不发达，只能通过书信与家人联系，每次收到家人的来信，虽然只有只言片语，却让他倍感温暖，仿佛家人的爱意通过信纸传递到他的心头。后来，他学有所成，回到家乡，过上了安定的生活。但是那些曾经的只言片语，却一直珍藏在他的记忆深处，成为了他生命中宝贵的财富。

yī wèi bǎo jīng cāng sāng de lǎo rén, zuò zài gōng yuán de cháng yǐ shàng, jìng jìng de huí yì zhe guò qù. nián qīng shí, tā piāo bó zài wài, sì chù bēn bō, wèi le shēng jì, bù dé bù sì chù dǎ gōng. nà shí tōng xùn bù fā dá, zhǐ néng tōng guò shū xìn yǔ jiā rén lián xì, měi cì shōu dào jiā rén de lái xìn, suīrán zhǐ yǒu zhī yán piàn yǔ, què ràng tā bèi gǎn wēn nuǎn, fǎng fú jiā rén de ài yì tōng guò xìn zhǐ chuán dì dào tā de xīn tóu. hòu lái, tā xué yǒu suǒ chéng, huí dào jiā xiāng, guò shang le ān dìng de shēng huó. dàn shì nà xiē céng jīng de zhī yán piàn yǔ, què yī zhí zhēn cáng zài tā de jì yì shēn chù, chéng wéi le tā shēng mìng zhōng bǎo guì de cái fù.

An old man who had experienced many vicissitudes of life sat on a park bench, quietly recalling the past. When he was young, he wandered outside, running around, and had to work everywhere for a living. At that time, communication was not well developed, and he could only contact his family through letters. Every time he received a letter from his family, although there were only a few words, it made him feel particularly warm, as if his family's love was transmitted to his heart through the letter paper. Later, he became educated and returned to his hometown, living a stable life. However, those few words have always been kept in his memory, becoming a precious wealth in his life.

Usage

通常作主语、宾语、定语。

tōng cháng zuò zhǔ yǔ, bīn yǔ, dìng yǔ

Usually used as subject, object, and attributive.

Examples

  • 我只能从只言片语中了解事情的来龙去脉。

    wǒ zhǐ néng cóng zhī yán piàn yǔ zhōng liǎo jiě shì qíng de lái lóng qù mài

    I can only understand the ins and outs of things from a few words.

  • 他虽然没有明说，但从他的只言片语中，我已经猜到他的想法了。

    tā suīrán méi yǒu míng shuō, dàn cóng tā de zhī yán piàn yǔ zhōng, wǒ yǐjīng cāi dào tā de xiǎng fǎ le

    Although he didn't say it directly, I have already guessed his thoughts from his few words.

Related Idioms

  • 只字片语

  • 片言只语

Opposite Idioms

  • 滔滔不绝

  • 侃侃而谈