heoi3 mou4 cyun4 zing1去蕪存菁去芜存菁

Jyutpingheoi3 mou4 cyun4 zing1

Yaleheui mòuh chyùhn jīng

Definition

To discard the dross and keep the essential; to weed out the chaff and retain the best parts.

neutraldaily actionsother

How it's used

This idiom is a formal, literary expression often used in professional or academic contexts to describe the process of refining information or ideas. While it sounds sophisticated, it is perfectly acceptable to use in everyday conversation when discussing how to simplify a complex task or filter out irrelevant details. It carries a sense of wisdom and critical thinking, suggesting that the speaker is capable of discerning value amidst a sea of noise.

Examples

ngo5我dei6哋jiu3要hok6學sik1識heoi3去mou4蕪cyun4存cing1菁，m4唔hou2好me1乜dou1都ziu3照daan1單cyun4全sau1收。

We need to learn to discard the dross and keep the essential, don't just accept everything.

le1呢fan2份bou3報gou3告noi6內jung4容taai2太do1多，nei5你ho2可m4唔ho2可ji5以bong1幫sau2手heoi3去mou4蕪cyun4存cing1菁aa4呀？

This report has too much content, can you help me trim it down to the essentials?

Common phrases

gwo3過cing4程heoi3去mou4蕪cyun4存cing1菁

the process of refining and keeping the essentials

Common mistake

Learners sometimes mistakenly use this phrase to mean simply deleting things, but it specifically implies a selective process where the goal is to retain only the most valuable or high-quality parts.