adjective / adverb HSK 5
Traditional 簡要
jiǎn yào
brief · concise · succinct · in brief

Meaning

简要 means brief or concise, emphasizing the key points without unnecessary detail. It combines 简 (simple, brief) and 要 (essential, important) to express something that is both short and captures the essential information. It's commonly used in formal or written contexts when summarizing or describing something in a condensed form.

Usage

简要 is often used in formal writing, reports, and academic contexts. It frequently appears as an adverb before verbs like 介绍 (introduce), 说明 (explain), or 叙述 (narrate) to indicate a brief or summary-style presentation. Native speakers use it when they want to emphasize getting to the point without lengthy elaboration.

Examples

  1. 01
    简要介绍一下你的工作经验。
    Qǐng jiǎn yào jiè shào yīxià de gōng zuò jīng yàn.
    Please briefly introduce your work experience.
  2. 02
    报告中简要说明了项目的主要成果。
    Bào gào zhōng jiǎn yào shuō míng le xiàng de zhǔ yào chéng guǒ.
    The report briefly explains the main achievements of the project.

Characters

Common collocations

  • 简要介绍
    jiǎn yào jiè shào
    to briefly introduce
  • 简要说明
    jiǎn yào shuō míng
    to briefly explain
  • 简要叙述
    jiǎn yào shù
    to briefly narrate
  • 简要报告
    jiǎn yào bào gào
    brief report

Antonyms

Origin

The word combines 简 (simple/brief) from classical Chinese with 要 (essential/key points), creating a compound that emphasizes brevity while maintaining importance.

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