简单说就是
Use this when you've explained something complicated and now want to compress it into one clean sentence. It's the spoken equivalent of 'long story short' or 'to put it simply.' Lives at the start of the simplified version, often after a comma. Common in podcasts, explainers, lectures — anywhere a speaker wants to land the takeaway after walking through the details.
Structure
[COMPLEX SETUP], 简单说就是 [PLAIN SUMMARY]
jiǎndān shuō jiù shì
How to Think About It
简单说 = 'speaking simply'; 就是 = 'is exactly.' Together they tell the listener 'strip all the nuance, here's the core.' The 就 is doing the heavy lifting — it equates the previous complex explanation with the upcoming simple one. Drop 就 and you weaken the equation; drop 简单说 and you've just got 就是, which doesn't signal that simplification is happening.
Examples
他讲了很久, 简单说就是没钱。
Tā jiǎng le hěn jiǔ, jiǎndān shuō jiù shì méi qián.
He talked for a long time; to put it simply, he has no money.
这个新政策简单说就是给年轻人减税。
Zhège xīn zhèngcè jiǎndān shuō jiù shì gěi niánqīng rén jiǎn shuì.
This new policy, in simple terms, is a tax cut for young people.
整个过程很复杂, 简单说就是把数据变成图。
Zhěnggè guòchéng hěn fùzá, jiǎndān shuō jiù shì bǎ shùjù biàn chéng tú.
The whole process is complicated; simply put, it turns data into pictures.
Common Mistake
Learners try to use 简单说就是 to introduce ALL explanations, not just simplifications of something already discussed. It only works as a follow-up — the listener needs the longer version first. Used cold, it sounds like you started mid-thought.
简单说就是我喜欢吃面条。
我每天午饭都吃同样的东西, 简单说就是面条。
Don't Confuse With
说白了就是
Blunter and more colloquial — strips away politeness, not just complexity. Use 说白了 when you're calling out what something REALLY is; 简单说 just shortens it.
总的来说
'Overall / in general.' Summarizes a list or range, not the meaning of one thing. Use 总的来说 to wrap up multiple points; 简单说就是 to compress one idea.
可以概括为
Formal, written. Same function, different register — use 可以概括为 in reports, 简单说就是 in conversation.
Practice
他说了很多, 简单说 ____ 是不同意。
Show answer
就
____ 说就是我们赢了。
Show answer
简单
Arrange: 简单 / 是 / 就 / 说 / 太贵了
Show answer
简单说就是太贵了。
Translate: She explained for a while; simply put, she's not coming.
Show answer
她解释了半天, 简单说就是她不来了。
Explain a complex topic and compress it with 简单说就是.
Show answer
学语言要花很多时间和精力, 简单说就是要每天练习。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: