直译 (zhí yì) literally means 'direct translation' — the character 直 means 'straight' or 'direct', and 译 means 'to translate'. Together, they refer to a word-for-word or phrase-for-phrase rendering from one language to another, preserving the original structure and wording as closely as possible. It is commonly used in linguistics, translation studies, and language learning contexts to describe a method that prioritizes fidelity to the source text over naturalness in the target language.

This approach often results in awkward or unnatural phrasing in the target language, especially when idioms, cultural references, or grammatical patterns don’t align. While useful for analyzing source texts or teaching grammar, literal translation is rarely appropriate for professional or literary translation, where fluency and cultural adaptation are essential. Learners may mistakenly overuse 直译 when trying to 'be accurate', not realizing that meaning and function matter more than mechanical equivalence.