一目十行 (yī mù shí háng): Fast Reading, Meaning and Examples

The phrase describes reading speed

一目十行 is written the same way in simplified and traditional Chinese. Its dictionary reading is yī mù shí háng. 行 is háng, a line or row, rather than xíng here. [1]

The image is taking in ten lines with one look. The expression describes reading very rapidly. “Read at a glance” or “read very quickly” may convey the point in an explanatory English sentence. The number in the image does not supply a measured reading rate for a particular reader.

A reader may work quickly and understand well. They may also work quickly and miss something. Speed alone does not decide which happened.

Read the cited wording without adding a speed test

The consulted appendix cites Bei Qi Shu, volume 11, in the biography concerning Xiaoyu, with the classical wording 讀書敏速，十行俱下, describing rapid reading. It also records a later example from Hong Lou Meng, chapter 23, and the alternative 目下十行. [1]

The cited earlier words are 十行俱下, not the exact four characters 一目十行. They help explain the reading image; they do not, on their own, establish the first appearance of the later fixed wording. This guide uses the short lexical record and does not reconstruct a biographical scene or claim a historical timing experiment.

Two original examples separate ability from checking

These are fictional language-learning examples.

她读这类短篇很快，几乎一目十行；讲起人物关系来又条理清楚。

“She reads this kind of short story very quickly, almost at a glance; she also explains the character relationships clearly.” The first part describes speed. The second part supplies a separate example of what she can explain. The idiom itself is not the proof of that explanation.

平时读小说能一目十行，核对表格时却要逐项看清。

“You may read fiction very quickly in ordinary reading, but checking a table calls for examining each item.” The sentence changes the task. It need not accuse the reader of incompetence or prescribe a universal minimum reading time.

Speed, cursory attention and clear presentation differ

走马观花 criticises insufficient close attention in the relevant context. It is not an automatic synonym for reading quickly. A rapid reader who performs the necessary checks need not receive the same criticism as someone who only glances at headings.

State the task and the separate evidence

To describe speed, say what was read: 读小说一目十行, “read fiction very quickly.” To describe understanding, say what the person can explain, compare or apply. To describe checking, name the parts they actually checked.

Those are different answers to different questions. Seeing a whole page is not the same as checking every calculation on it. Explaining one passage is not automatically proof of mastering the entire book. A precise sentence can praise an observed strength without expanding its scope.

Choose what the stated evidence supports

Original exercise: A reader finishes a story quickly. The only additional information is that they accurately explain its two main characters. Which conclusion fits?

1. They read quickly and can explain those character relationships.
2. They have checked every factual statement in the story.