everyone has strengths and weaknesses; every person or thing has its merits and demerits
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
every person or thing has its strengths and weaknesses; no one is perfect in everything
literaryUsed to express that comparisons should be fair, acknowledging that everyone has areas of expertise and shortcomings. It's often cited to encourage humility or to appreciate diverse talents. The full saying is '尺有所短，寸有所长'.
Wǒ我
men们
tuán团
duì队
lǐ里
de的
chéng成
yuán员
chǐ尺
duǎn短
cùn寸
cháng长
，
yīng应
gāi该
hù互
xiāng相
xué学
xí习
。
Every member of our team has their strengths and weaknesses; we should learn from each other.
Píng评
jià价
yī一
gè个
xì系
tǒng统
bù不
néng能
zhǐ只
kàn看
quē缺
diǎn点
，
yě也
yào要
míng明
bai白
chǐ尺
duǎn短
cùn寸
cháng长
de的
dào道
lǐ理
。
When evaluating a system, you can't just look at its flaws; you must also understand the principle that everything has its pros and cons.
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Gǔ古
rén人
shuō说
“
chǐ尺
yǒu有
suǒ所
duǎn短
，
cùn寸
yǒu有
suǒ所
cháng长
”
，
jiù就
shì是
zhè这
gè个
chéng成
yǔ语
de的
lái来
yuán源
。
The ancient saying 'A foot may be short sometimes, an inch may be long sometimes' is the source of this idiom.