Chinese Idiom: 不得要领 (Bu De Yao Ling)
English Translation: Fail to grasp the essentials
pīn yīn: bù dé yào lǐng
Idiom Meaning: This idiom means to fail to grasp the main points or key aspects when speaking or writing. It can also imply missing the crux of a matter.
Historical Source: Records of the Grand Historian (《史记 · 大宛列传》)
Idiom Story:
During the early reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu people, who lived to the north, were a constant threat to the Han Empire. The Emperor heard that the Yuezhi people, who had been defeated by the Xiongnu and driven out of their homeland, harbored deep hatred toward them. This made the Emperor consider forming an alliance with the Yuezhi to jointly attack the Xiongnu.
To establish contact with the Yuezhi, the Emperor sought volunteers who were willing to undertake the dangerous mission of traveling through Xiongnu territory to reach the Yuezhi. A court official named Zhang Qian volunteered for the mission and was approved by the Emperor.
Unfortunately, as Zhang Qian passed through Xiongnu territory, he was captured and held captive by the Xiongnu for over ten years. During his captivity, he married a Xiongnu woman and had children, but he never abandoned his mission.
Eventually, Zhang Qian managed to escape with his followers and headed towards the Yuezhi. Along the way, they arrived in the Kingdom of Dayuan, whose king was eager to establish relations with the wealthy Han Empire. Zhang Qian requested help from the king, who provided him with guides and interpreters to take him to the Kingdom of Kangju, and from there, to the Yuezhi.
When Zhang Qian finally reached the Yuezhi, he found that they had settled in a prosperous region called Daxia, far from their former homeland. Although the Yuezhi people were still wealthy and powerful, they were now more focused on enjoying their peaceful and prosperous life in Daxia. They no longer harbored any desire for revenge against the Xiongnu and were uninterested in forming an alliance with the Han Empire.
Despite Zhang Qian’s efforts to convince the Yuezhi to join forces with the Han Empire, he was unable to obtain a clear commitment from them. The Records of the Grand Historian notes that “Zhang Qian, though he traveled from the Yuezhi to Daxia, could not grasp the essentials of their intentions” (张骞从月氏至大夏，竟不能得月氏要领).
Zhang Qian spent over a year with the Yuezhi before returning to the Han Empire, where he reported his findings to Emperor Wu. Although his mission did not achieve its primary goal, Zhang Qian’s journey opened up new routes for trade and diplomacy between the Han Empire and Central Asia.
The idiom “不得要领” originally referred to Zhang Qian’s failure to grasp the Yuezhi’s intentions but has since come to describe situations where someone fails to capture the main points or essence of an issue.
