One Sentence
A paragraph explains; a sentence survives. People forget explanations and repeat
sentences — so when the user asks for a concept, give them the sentence they will
still have tomorrow, and nothing else.
This is not "answer within 20 words." Twenty words is the budget; the craft is
deciding what the budget buys. Compression is selection, not shrinking: you cut
ideas until one remains, then spend every word on that one.
The contract
- Deliver one sentence. No preamble, no "Here's a one-liner:", no follow-up
paragraph, no bullet of alternatives (unless the user asked for variants).
- If the user wants depth, they will say "more" / 展开. The sentence's job is to
earn that question — Okamoto's test: a good line doesn't close the topic, it
makes the listener say "tell me more."
- Honesty outranks brevity. If one sentence would be false without a
qualifier, the qualifier is load-bearing and stays. A true 25-word sentence
beats a false 15-word one. If a concept genuinely cannot be carried honestly in
one sentence, say that — in one sentence — and offer the trade.
- One sentence means one breath: no semicolon chains, no em-dash freight
trains smuggling a paragraph through punctuation.
Step 1 — Find the load-bearing idea
Before writing a word, answer: what would the listener repeat to someone else
tomorrow? That is the sentence's cargo. Everything else — history, caveats,
adjacent facts, your process — is the part you are paid to delete.
For a concept, the cargo is usually one of: what it IS (category + difference),
how it WORKS (mechanism), or why it MATTERS (stakes). Pick one. A sentence that
tries to carry two collapses into a paragraph wearing a belt.
Step 2 — Choose a sentence form deliberately
| Form |
Skeleton |
Use for |
| Definition |
X is a [family] that [what makes it different] |
terms, tools, roles — the genus-differentia move: the family does half the work, the difference does the other half |
| Mechanism |
X works by [cause → effect] |
processes, systems, algorithms |
| Stakes |
X matters because [concrete consequence] |
why-should-I-care questions |
| Contrast |
Everyone treats X as [assumption]; it is actually [the twist] |
misunderstood concepts — only when the twist is real |
| Metaphor |
X is [thing the listener already owns] for [domain] |
bridging to a novice — the borrowed structure must actually match |
| Okamoto (people/products) |
I/It help(s) [audience] [get benefit] — optionally without [pain] |
self-intros, taglines, positioning |
Okamoto's variants for self-intros, when "help" doesn't fit: I'm known for
[strength]… / I'm passionate about [value]… / I'm on a mission to [change]…
— all obey the same law: about-you beats about-me ("I help new authors get
published faster" beats "I'm an award-winning, bestselling author").
Step 3 — Make every word load-bearing
- Concrete beats abstract: one number or image outperforms three adjectives.
“Scans 71 sources every 2 minutes” is concrete only if those numbers are
supplied or verified. Without them, describe the actual action; never invent a
number, customer outcome, or guarantee to make a line memorable.
- The verb carries the sentence. Find the strongest verb and build around it;
a sentence leaning on is/has/provides is usually hiding its verb in a noun
("provides optimization of" → "optimizes").
- Cut hedges, keep the one that's true. May, might, can help to stack into
fog; if uncertainty is real, spend ONE word on it ("usually") and make it count.
- No unearned jargon: every term the listener doesn't already own costs more
than it says — either replace it or make IT the sentence's subject.
- End strong. The last word gets free emphasis; don't spend it on a
preposition or a qualifier.
- Rhythm is persuasion, not proof. Parallelism and near-rhyme make a line
feel truer than it is (the rhyme-as-reason effect) — use rhythm consciously,
and never let a line be more confident than its facts.
Step 4 — Test before delivering
- Repeatable: could a stranger quote it verbatim after one hearing?
- Standalone: does it survive with zero surrounding context?
- Tell-me-more: does it open a follow-up question rather than end one?
- Word audit: delete each word mentally — if the sentence survives, the word
was decoration; cut it and re-test.
- Truth audit: is anything in it more certain, bigger, or simpler than
reality? Fix that even if it costs words.
Anti-patterns (each fails a test above)
- Fortune-cookie abstraction — "True understanding comes from within." Zero
cargo; fails standalone and repeatable both.
- Slogan slop — buzzword strings ("seamless, scalable, next-gen insights");
fails the word audit wholesale.
- The corrective-antithesis tell — "It's not just X, it's Y" as a reflex
template; use Contrast form only when the assumption is real and the twist earns
its turn.
- Clause smuggling — one "sentence," four commas, two dashes, forty words;
that's a paragraph in a trench coat.
- Answering the easier question — compressing a different, simpler claim than
the one asked about; the most common way compression lies.
Modes and language
- Single shot (default): one request, one sentence.
- Standing mode: if the user says "keep everything to one sentence" / 从现在起
概念都给一句话, hold the contract for the session until revoked; requests that
genuinely need structure (code, plans, instructions, decisions/trade-offs) are exempt — say so in one
line and proceed normally.
- English is the primary craft target (word budgets, verb placement, stress).
For Chinese output: ~20–30 字, same selection discipline; 对仗 and 四字结构 are
the native rhythm tools — the same warning applies: 节奏是说服力,不是证据.
1---2name: one-sentence3description: Answer with ONE crafted sentence instead of a paragraph — for explaining concepts, defining terms, and writing self-intros, taglines, loglines, or positioning lines. Built on the craft of extreme compression in English (Rebecca Okamoto's 20-word introduction method, aphorism structure, genus-differentia definitions): find the load-bearing idea, pick a deliberate sentence form, make every word earn its place, and stop. Use when the user says one sentence / one-liner / in 20 words / the short version of a concept / just the essence / 一句话 / 一句话讲清楚 / 别长篇大论, asks for a tagline, self-intro, elevator line, or logline, or has switched on one-sentence mode for the session. NOT for document summaries (a tl;dr can be several lines), NOT for recapping the conversation (use conclude-rounds if installed), NOT for decisions or trade-off questions (use a thinking skill), NOT a length cap on instructions or code — compressing those loses load-bearing content.4---56# One Sentence78A paragraph explains; a sentence survives. People forget explanations and repeat9sentences — so when the user asks for a concept, give them the sentence they will10still have tomorrow, and nothing else.1112This is not "answer within 20 words." Twenty words is the *budget*; the craft is13deciding what the budget buys. Compression is selection, not shrinking: you cut14ideas until one remains, then spend every word on that one.1516## The contract1718- Deliver **one sentence**. No preamble, no "Here's a one-liner:", no follow-up19 paragraph, no bullet of alternatives (unless the user asked for variants).20- If the user wants depth, they will say "more" / 展开. The sentence's job is to21 *earn* that question — Okamoto's test: a good line doesn't close the topic, it22 makes the listener say **"tell me more."**23- **Honesty outranks brevity.** If one sentence would be false without a24 qualifier, the qualifier is load-bearing and stays. A true 25-word sentence25 beats a false 15-word one. If a concept genuinely cannot be carried honestly in26 one sentence, say that — in one sentence — and offer the trade.27- One sentence means **one breath**: no semicolon chains, no em-dash freight28 trains smuggling a paragraph through punctuation.2930## Step 1 — Find the load-bearing idea3132Before writing a word, answer: *what would the listener repeat to someone else33tomorrow?* That is the sentence's cargo. Everything else — history, caveats,34adjacent facts, your process — is the part you are paid to delete.3536For a concept, the cargo is usually one of: what it IS (category + difference),37how it WORKS (mechanism), or why it MATTERS (stakes). Pick one. A sentence that38tries to carry two collapses into a paragraph wearing a belt.3940## Step 2 — Choose a sentence form deliberately4142| Form | Skeleton | Use for |43|---|---|---|44| **Definition** | X is a [family] that [what makes it different] | terms, tools, roles — the genus-differentia move: the family does half the work, the difference does the other half |45| **Mechanism** | X works by [cause → effect] | processes, systems, algorithms |46| **Stakes** | X matters because [concrete consequence] | why-should-I-care questions |47| **Contrast** | Everyone treats X as [assumption]; it is actually [the twist] | misunderstood concepts — only when the twist is real |48| **Metaphor** | X is [thing the listener already owns] for [domain] | bridging to a novice — the borrowed structure must actually match |49| **Okamoto** (people/products) | I/It help(s) [audience] [get benefit] — optionally *without [pain]* | self-intros, taglines, positioning |5051Okamoto's variants for self-intros, when "help" doesn't fit: *I'm known for52[strength]…* / *I'm passionate about [value]…* / *I'm on a mission to [change]…*53— all obey the same law: **about-you beats about-me** ("I help new authors get54published faster" beats "I'm an award-winning, bestselling author").5556## Step 3 — Make every word load-bearing5758- **Concrete beats abstract**: one number or image outperforms three adjectives.59 “Scans 71 sources every 2 minutes” is concrete only if those numbers are60 supplied or verified. Without them, describe the actual action; never invent a61 number, customer outcome, or guarantee to make a line memorable.62- **The verb carries the sentence.** Find the strongest verb and build around it;63 a sentence leaning on *is/has/provides* is usually hiding its verb in a noun64 (*"provides optimization of"* → *"optimizes"*).65- **Cut hedges, keep the one that's true.** *May, might, can help to* stack into66 fog; if uncertainty is real, spend ONE word on it (*"usually"*) and make it count.67- **No unearned jargon**: every term the listener doesn't already own costs more68 than it says — either replace it or make IT the sentence's subject.69- **End strong.** The last word gets free emphasis; don't spend it on a70 preposition or a qualifier.71- **Rhythm is persuasion, not proof.** Parallelism and near-rhyme make a line72 feel truer than it is (the rhyme-as-reason effect) — use rhythm consciously,73 and never let a line be more confident than its facts.7475## Step 4 — Test before delivering76771. **Repeatable**: could a stranger quote it verbatim after one hearing?782. **Standalone**: does it survive with zero surrounding context?793. **Tell-me-more**: does it open a follow-up question rather than end one?804. **Word audit**: delete each word mentally — if the sentence survives, the word81 was decoration; cut it and re-test.825. **Truth audit**: is anything in it more certain, bigger, or simpler than83 reality? Fix that even if it costs words.8485## Anti-patterns (each fails a test above)8687- **Fortune-cookie abstraction** — "True understanding comes from within." Zero88 cargo; fails standalone and repeatable both.89- **Slogan slop** — buzzword strings ("seamless, scalable, next-gen insights");90 fails the word audit wholesale.91- **The corrective-antithesis tell** — "It's not just X, it's Y" as a reflex92 template; use Contrast form only when the assumption is real and the twist earns93 its turn.94- **Clause smuggling** — one "sentence," four commas, two dashes, forty words;95 that's a paragraph in a trench coat.96- **Answering the easier question** — compressing a different, simpler claim than97 the one asked about; the most common way compression lies.9899## Modes and language100101- **Single shot** (default): one request, one sentence.102- **Standing mode**: if the user says "keep everything to one sentence" / 从现在起103 概念都给一句话, hold the contract for the session until revoked; requests that104 genuinely need structure (code, plans, instructions, decisions/trade-offs) are exempt — say so in one105 line and proceed normally.106- English is the primary craft target (word budgets, verb placement, stress).107 For Chinese output: ~20–30 字, same selection discipline; 对仗 and 四字结构 are108 the native rhythm tools — the same warning applies: 节奏是说服力,不是证据.
m1nga