挂一漏万 guà yī lòu wàn omit many details

Explanation

挂：钩取，这里指说到，提到；漏：遗漏。形容说得不全，遗漏很多。

Hang: Hook, here refers to mention; Leak: Omission. Describes incompletely spoken, with many omissions.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，一位名叫李白的著名诗人，正在为一位达官贵人作诗。这位达官贵人要求李白写一首能够概括他一生功绩和生平事迹的长诗。李白欣然接受了这个挑战，他闭目沉思，脑海中浮现出这位贵人波澜壮阔的一生：少年时期的刻苦学习，壮年时的辉煌成就，以及老年时的淡泊名利。但李白发现，要将如此丰富的人生经历全部浓缩进一首诗中，实在是难上加难。他努力地组织语言，力求做到不遗漏任何重要的细节，但仍觉得难以尽述。最终，他只能无奈地放下笔，叹息道：“人生一世，犹如浩瀚宇宙，而我所写的诗句，不过是挂一漏万，仅仅触及到其皮毛而已。”

huà shuō táng cháo shí qī, yī wèi míng jiào lǐ bái de zhùmíng shī rén, zhèng zài wèi yī wèi dáguān guì rén zuò shī. zhè wèi dáguān guì rén yāoqiú lǐ bái xiě yī shǒu nénggòu gài kuò tā yīshēng gōng jì hé shēngpíng shìjì de cháng shī. lǐ bái xīnrán jiēshòu le zhège tiǎozhàn, tā bì mù chén sī, nǎohǎi zhōng fúxiàn chū zhè wèi guì rén bōlán zhuàngkuò de yīshēng: shàonián shí qī de kèkǔ xuéxí, zhuàngnián shí de huīhuáng chéngjiù, yǐjí lǎonián shí de dàn bó mínglì. dàn lǐ bái fāxiàn, yào jiāng rúcǐ fēngfù de rénshēng jīnglì quánbù nóngsuō jìn yī shǒu shī zhōng, shízài shì nán shàng jiā nán. tā nǔlì de zǔzhī yǔyán, lì qiú zuòdào bù yí lòu rènhé zhòngyào de xìjié, dàn réng juéde nán yǐ jìn shù. zuìzhōng, tā zhǐ néng wú nài de fàng xià bǐ, tànxī dào: “rénshēng yīshì, yóurú hàohàn yǔzhòu, ér wǒ suǒ xiě de shī jù, bùguò shì guà yī lòu wàn, jǐngjǐng chùjí dào qí pí máo ér yǐ.”

It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, a famous poet named Li Bai was writing a poem for a high-ranking official. The high-ranking official asked Li Bai to write a long poem that could summarize his life's achievements and life story. Li Bai readily accepted this challenge. He closed his eyes and meditated, and his mind was filled with the magnificent life of the nobleman: his diligent studies in his youth, his brilliant achievements in his adulthood, and his detachment from fame and fortune in his old age. But Li Bai found that it was extremely difficult to condense such rich life experiences into one poem. He tried hard to organize the language, striving to avoid omitting any important details, but he still felt that it was difficult to describe everything. In the end, he could only helplessly put down his pen and sighed, "Life is like a vast universe, and my poem only touches the surface of it. It is just a drop in the ocean, and it leaves much to be desired."

Usage

用作谓语、宾语；作谦辞，表示所述不全面。

yòng zuò wèiyǔ, bīnyǔ; zuò qiāncí, biǎoshì suǒ shù bù quánmiàn

Used as predicate and object; as a humble phrase, indicating that what is said is not comprehensive.

Examples

• 会议上，他发言时挂一漏万，很多重要细节都没提到。

  huìyì shàng, tā fāyán shí guà yī lòu wàn, hěn duō zhòngyào xìjié dōu méi tídào

  At the meeting, he mentioned many important details not during his speech.

• 这篇文章虽然写得不错，但细节方面挂一漏万，有待完善。

  zhè piānwén suīrán xiě de bùcuò, dàn xìjié fāngmiàn guà yī lòu wàn, yǒudài wánshàn

  Although this article is well-written, many details are omitted and need improvement.

Related Idioms

• 一鳞半爪

• 支离破碎

Opposite Idioms

• 面面俱到

• 事无巨细