不求甚解
Have you ever used CliffsNotes to get through your reading assignments? I sure have. I’ve never been big on reading as a kid, and I didn’t appreciate the art of language either. I just wanted to know what happened in the book: give me the plot, and spare me the fluff.
Oh, by the way, did you know that it’s supposed to be CliffsNotes and not CliffNotes? The book series was started by someone called Cliff and the books were originally called Cliff’s Notes. Did it matter that you didn’t know that? Probably not.
There’s a chengyu for this kind of scenarios: for when you have a superficial understanding of something, but didn’t bother learning more.
不求甚解
bù qiú shèn jiě
求: to seek, to ask for. As in the modern-day word 要求 (yāo qiú, to demand).
甚: a formal (mostly literary) word for big or severe.
解: solution; understanding. As in these modern-day words: 理解 (lǐ jiě, to understand), 解释 (jiě shì, to explain / an explanation), 解决 (jiě jué, to resolve (an issue)).
Today, it’s usually used in the derogatory sense: that a person is happy with a superficial understanding of something, and doesn’t want to probe deeper into the whys of whys. While there’s nothing wrong with simply grokking something without dissecting it, this chengyu is often used to criticize someone for stopping far too early.
Origin
陶渊明《五柳先生传》(The story of Mr. Wu Liu by Tao Yuanming, 365 – 427). It’s a short biography of a fictional character who has not a worry in the world, which is not unlike the author himself. The snippet around our chengyu in question was this:
闲静少言 不慕荣利
[He is] relaxed, quiet, and silent; [he] doesn’t seek fame nor luxury
好读书 不求甚解
[He] likes to read books, and doesn’t seek a thorough understanding
毎有会意 便欣然忘食
Soon as [he] understands the gist, [he’d] be so happy [he’d] forget to eat
The author meant to praise on the man: that he’s not bothered by the exact phrasing of each sentence he reads, but aims to understand the texts as a whole. The author meant to say, this is what one should do if they want to be as relaxed and chill and content with the world as Mr. Wu Liu is.
Very few people who use this chengyu in the derogatory sense would know its original meaning. Of course, language changes, but there’s still a sense of irony.
D. R. Whispers 