Definition
浅尝辄止 is a four-character idiom (成语) meaning to only scratch the surface of something — to try a little and then stop, never going deep. It's used to criticize a superficial approach to learning, research, or any task that requires sustained effort. The literal image is 'take a small sip and then stop.' You can use it as a predicate or attributive: 学习不能浅尝辄止 ('studying can't be just scratching the surface').
f.e.
to stop after getting a tiny tasteto dabble in something without going deepto be superficial in one's approach
Examples
- 浅尝辄止，。Xuéxí rènhé jìnéng dōu bùnéng qiǎn cháng zhé zhǐ, bìxū chízhīyǐhéng.When learning any skill, you can't just scratch the surface — you must persevere.
- 浅尝辄止，。Tā duì zhège wèntí de yánjiū zhǐshì qiǎn cháng zhé zhǐ, méiyǒu shēnrù fēnxī.His research on this issue was only superficial; he didn't do any in-depth analysis.
- 浅尝辄止，。Dúshū rúguǒ qiǎn cháng zhé zhǐ, jiù yǒngyuǎn wúfǎ zhēnzhèng lǐjiě zuòzhě de sīxiǎng.If you only skim books superficially, you'll never truly understand the author's ideas.
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