Chinese Idiom: 一知半解 (Yi Zhi Ban Jie)
English Translation: One-Sided Understanding
pīn yīn: yī zhī bàn jiě
Idiom Meaning: This idiom means knowing something incompletely or understanding it superficially. “Knowing” (知) means being aware or informed, and “understanding” (解) means comprehending or grasping. “One-sided” (一知) implies having limited knowledge and shallow comprehension.
Historical Source: Tang and Song Poetry Anthology.
Idiom Story: During the Song Dynasty, there was a poet named Chen Shidao who admired Su Shi’s poetry. After reading some of Su Shi’s poems, Chen hastily concluded that Su Shi first learned from Liu Yuxi and later from Li Bai. However, this view was entirely refuted during the Qing Dynasty.
In 1785, Emperor Qianlong “imperially commissioned” a collection titled Tang and Song Poetry Anthology. This anthology consisted of forty-seven volumes and included poems by renowned poets such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi, Han Yu, Su Shi, and Lu You. The collection featured general comments before each poet’s section and often included the compiler’s remarks after each poem.
When commenting on Su Shi’s poetry, the Tang and Song Poetry Anthology noted: “Su Shi’s poetry stands alone throughout the ages, not confined to one era or one person’s style; yet Chen Shidao claimed that Su Shi initially learned from Liu Yuxi and later from Li Bai, which is a one-sided understanding.” This statement implied that Su Shi’s poetry had its unique characteristics and could not be simply categorized as imitating specific poets from certain periods.
From this story, the idiom “one-sided understanding” (一知半解) emerged, indicating a situation where someone has an incomplete or superficial grasp of a subject.
