The New Dictionary.
Search dictionary
Chinese/Dictionary entry

不以词害志

bù yǐ cí hài zhìdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
don't let rhetoric spoil the message (idiom) / don't get carried away with flowery speech to the detriment of what you want to say
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-7ae428032f94e77e. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

不以詞害誌 不以词害志 [bu4 yi3 ci2 hai4 zhi4] /don't let rhetoric spoil the message (idiom); don't get carried away with flowery speech to the detriment of what you want to say/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 不以詞害誌

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 以
    yǐ

    to use / by means of / according to / in order to / because of / at (a certain date or place)

    Yǐ

    abbr. for Israel 以色列[Yǐ sè liè]

  • 词
    cí

    word / statement / speech / lyrics / a form of lyric poetry, flourishing in the Song dynasty 宋朝[Sòng cháo] (CL:首[shǒu])

  • 害
    hài

    to do harm to / to cause trouble to / harm / evil / calamity

  • 志
    zhì

    aspiration / ambition / the will / sign / mark / to record / to write a footnote

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.