顾名思义 Gù míng sī yì As the name suggests

Explanation

顾名思义，就是从名字去理解其含义。看到一个词语或名称，就能理解它的意思，不必再做其他解释。

Gu Ming Si Yi means to understand the meaning from the name itself. When you see a word or name, you can understand its meaning without further explanation.

Origin Story

三国时期，魏文帝曹丕的老师王昶，是个正直的人，很注重名节。他为自己的儿子和侄子起名时，都刻意选择一些比较谦逊的字，希望他们能顾名思义，以此来规范自己的行为，不做出有悖于名字含义的事情。例如，他的儿子王浑字玄冲，王深字道冲；侄子王默字处静，王沈字处道。王昶的用心良苦，也体现了中国传统文化中对名字的重视，以及对个人品德修养的重视。他希望通过名字的约束力，引导后辈做一个正直、有担当的人，为家族和国家做出贡献。这不仅仅是起名，更是对后辈人生的一种期盼和教诲。

Sānguó shíqī, Wèi Wéndì Cáopī de lǎoshī Wáng Chǎng, shì ge zhèngzhí de rén, hěn zhòngshì míngjié。Tā wèi zìjǐ de érzi hé zhízi qǐ míng shí, dōu kèyì xuǎnzé yīxiē bǐjiào qiānxùn de zì, xīwàng tāmen néng gù míng sī yì, yǐ cǐ lái guīfàn zìjǐ de xíngwéi, bù zuò chū yǒubèi yú míngzi hànyì de shìqíng。Lìrú, tā de érzi Wáng Hún zì Xuánchōng, Wáng Shēn zì Dàochōng；zhízi Wáng Mò zì Chǔjìng, Wáng Shěn zì Chǔdào。Wáng Chǎng de yòngxīn liángkǔ, yě tǐxiàn le Zhōngguó chuántǒng wénhuà zhōng duì míngzi de zhòngshì, yǐjí duì gèrén pǐndé xiūyǎng de zhòngshì。Tā xīwàng tōngguò míngzi de yàosùlì, yǐndǎo hòubèi zuò ge zhèngzhí, yǒu dāndāng de rén, wèi jiāzú hé guójiā zuò chū gòngxiàn。Zhè bù jǐn jìn shì qǐ míng, gèngshì duì hòubèi rénshēng de yī zhǒng qīpàn hé jiàohuì。

During the Three Kingdoms period, Wang Chang, the teacher of Emperor Cao Pi of Wei, was an upright man who valued his reputation highly. When he named his sons and nephews, he deliberately chose more modest characters, hoping that they would live up to the meaning of their names and regulate their behavior accordingly, avoiding anything contrary to the meaning of their names. For example, his sons Wang Hun's courtesy name was Xuanchong, and Wang Shen's was Daochong; his nephews Wang Mo's courtesy name was Chujing, and Wang Shen's was Chudao. Wang Chang's painstaking efforts also reflect the importance placed on names in traditional Chinese culture, as well as on personal moral cultivation. He hoped that the binding force of names would guide his descendants to become upright and responsible individuals, contributing to their family and country. This was not merely naming but also a hope and teaching for the lives of his descendants.

Usage

用于解释词语或名称的含义，表示从名称上就能理解其含义。

yòng yú jiěshì cíyǔ huò míngchēng de hànyì, biǎoshì cóng míngchēng shàng jiù néng lǐjiě qí hànyì。

Used to explain the meaning of words or names, indicating that the meaning can be understood from the name itself.

Examples

• 这幅画，顾名思义，就是描绘了西湖的景色。

  zhè fú huà, gù míng sī yì, jiùshì miáohuì le xī hú de jǐngsè.

  This painting, as the name suggests, depicts the scenery of West Lake.

• 这个新成立的公司，顾名思义，就是专门从事软件开发的。

  zhège xīn chénglì de gōngsī, gù míng sī yì, jiùshì zhuānmén cóngshì ruǎnjiàn kāifā de。

  This newly established company, as the name suggests, specializes in software development.

Related Idioms

• 名副其实

• 名实相符

Opposite Idioms

• 望文生义

• 曲解