CHENGYU
一目十行(yī mù shí háng)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral, approving
- Source:
- 《梁书·简文帝纪》
MEANING
- Literal
- ten lines at one glance
- Figurative meaning
- to read at lightning speed
ORIGIN STORY
The Book of Liang records that the young prince who became Emperor Jianwen "read ten lines at a glance" — a memory and speed that let whole pages fall in a single look.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to read at a gallop”
EXAMPLES
他读书一目十行，很快就看完了。Tā dú shū yī mù shí háng, hěn kuài jiù kàn wán le.HSK6
He reads ten lines at a glance and finishes the book in no time.
这种小说简单，一目十行就够了。Zhè zhǒng xiǎoshuō jiǎndān, yī mù shí háng jiù gòu le.HSK6
Novels like this are light reading — ten lines a glance will do.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Note the reading: 行 is háng (a line of text), not xíng. It is about speed, not depth.
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01