uneven in quality; mixed good and bad
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
uneven; mixed; of varying quality
formalOften used to describe a group of people, products, or works where the good and the bad are mixed. The metaphor comes from '莠' (yǒu), a type of weed (dog-tail grass) that resembles grain, representing bad elements mixed with the good.
Zhè这
ge个
péi培
xùn训
bān班
de的
xué学
sheng生
shuǐ水
píng平
liáng良
yǒu莠
bù不
qí齐
。
The students in this training class are of uneven ability.
Shì市
chǎng场
shàng上
de的
chǎn产
pǐn品
zhì质
liàng量
liáng良
yǒu莠
bù不
qí齐
，
xiāo消
fèi费
zhě者
yào要
zǐ仔
xì细
tiāo挑
xuǎn选
。
The quality of products on the market is mixed, so consumers need to choose carefully.
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Cān参
sài赛
zuò作
pǐn品
liáng良
yǒu莠
bù不
qí齐
，
píng评
wěi委
xū需
yào要
shí时
jiān间
zhēn甄
bié别
。
The competition entries are of varying quality, and the judges need time to evaluate them.