不一而足
Chinese edit
and; as well as; but (not) and; as well as; but (not); yet (not); (shows causal relation); (shows change of state); (shows contrast) |
foot; to be sufficient | |||
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simp. and trad. (不一而足) |
不一 | 而 | 足 |
Etymology edit
The original and literal meaning in the Gongyang was "to not make full (the approval) all at once", i.e., to be conditional and graduated in dispensing approval. It was also written as "不壹而足" in the Gongyang, and typically used in the phrase
As chengyu, the phrase has been re-analysed semantically in common usage and shifted in meaning.
Pronunciation edit
Idiom edit
不一而足
- cannot be described only by one example; by no means an isolated case; to be numerous; innumerable