Practical guide
一了百了 (yī liǎo bǎi liǎo): Related Problems, 了 Reading and Examples
一了百了 describes a main matter being settled and its related matters settling with it. Learn why both 了 are liǎo, read the short Zhuzi citation, and practise an original dependency example that preserves unrelated unfinished work.
A main matter and its related matters are settled
一了百了 has the same simplified and traditional spelling. The consulted reading is yī liǎo bǎi liǎo: both instances of 了 are liǎo, not the neutral grammatical particle le. The recorded meaning is that settling the principal matter also settles the matters connected to it. [1]
“Settle the main issue and the associated ones follow” explains the relationship. The word 百 does not require an audited list of exactly one hundred problems. Nor does it include every unrelated unfinished matter.
Read the short learning-context citation within its scope
The entry points to Zhuzi Yu Lei, volume 8, and cites 有資質甚高者，一了一切了，即不須節節用工. [1] The consulted lexical record then explains the principal-matter/related-matters relationship.
The short cited record is not a promise that one action always resolves all problems in practical life. In an original modern example, make the dependency explicit so the reader can see why the related issues settle together.
Two original sentences identify the dependency
These are fictional teaching situations, with the described links explicitly built into the scenario.
三个展示页都引用同一条标题记录，改正这条记录后，相关错字便一了百了。
“Three display pages all use the same title record; once that record is corrected, the related typo problem is settled across them.” The common reference is part of the fictional premise. The sentence does not claim a measured result from an actual publishing system.
标题错字可以这样一了百了，尚未写好的说明却仍要另做。
“The title typo can be settled together this way, but the explanations not yet written still need separate work.” The sentence names both the dependent issue and the unrelated remaining task.
Show which matters depend on the principal one
| Item | Supplied dependency | After the shared correction |
|---|---|---|
| Display A’s title | It directly uses the common title record. | The stated title typo is corrected. |
| Display B’s title | It directly uses the same record. | The same related typo is corrected. |
| Display C’s title | It directly uses the same record. | The same related typo is corrected. |
| An explanation not yet written | It is not supplied by that title record. | It remains a separate writing task. |
The table makes the fictional dependency visible. For another task, check its actual links before claiming the same result. A similar-looking error might come from a separate record and need a separate correction.
A related-result relation differs from removing a sustaining cause
釜底抽薪 foregrounds removing a condition or cause that keeps a problem going. 一了百了 foregrounds a principal matter being settled along with its related matters.
A scenario may supply both mechanisms. They still need explanation: what was removed, what was settled and which results depend on it? A claim that “everything is finished” becomes misleading when an independent explanation remains unwritten.
Keep the unrelated task visible
Original exercise: The three fictional displays directly use the corrected title record. A separate explanation has not been written. Which report matches the supplied dependency?
- “The shared title typo is settled on all three displays; the explanation remains unfinished.”
- “Every task is finished, including the explanation.”
Check related settlement and remaining work
Report 1. The correction settles the three explicitly dependent titles. Report 2 invents completion of a separate writing task. 一了百了 does not remove the need to identify what is actually related.
Sources and further reading
- Education Ministry Chengyu Dictionary revised-dictionary appendix: 一了百了Recorded spelling, pronunciation and lexical sense; any cited classical wording is identified in the article. Modern teaching sentences, comparisons and exercises are original.