Mun-il-ji-sip

聞

들을 문

一

한 일

知

알 지

十

열 십

Character by character

Meaning

Hear one thing and know ten — exceptional quickness of mind.

Origin

From the Analects, where Zigong says this of Yan Hui.

How it is used

Said of someone who grasps the whole from a single explanation.

Hanja聞一知十

Simplified闻一知十

Korean reading문일지십

Pinyinwén yī zhī shí

Frequently asked questions

Q. What does Mun-il-ji-sip mean?

聞一知十 · Hear one thing and know ten — exceptional quickness of mind.

Q. Where does Mun-il-ji-sip come from?

From the Analects, where Zigong says this of Yan Hui.

Q. How is Mun-il-ji-sip used?

Said of someone who grasps the whole from a single explanation.

Idioms in the same group

刮目相對 Gwal-mok-sang-daeRub your eyes and look again — someone’s ability has grown astonishingly.敎學相長 Gyo-hak-sang-jangTeaching and learning grow each other.多多益善 Da-da-ik-seonThe more, the better.格物致知 Gyeong-mul-chi-jiInvestigate things to reach knowledge.學而時習 Hak-i-si-seupLearn, and practise it in due time.不恥下問 Bul-chi-ha-munNot ashamed to ask those below you.

The idioms used in Korea mix phrases from the Chinese classics with ones coined in Korea. Where an expression is not used in China, the entry says so.