绝长补短 — “Cut the long to mend the short”
绝长补短 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to use one's strengths or advantages to compensate for one's weaknesses or shortcomings; to leverage strong points to offset deficiencies”. Literally, “Cut the long to mend the short”.
绝长补短 Pronunciation and Pinyin
绝长补短 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 绝长补短
Origin and Story of 绝长补短
During the Warring States period, Duke Wen of Teng met Mencius while passing through the State of Song from the State of Chu.
Mencius expounded on the inherent goodness of human nature and encouraged him to govern with the principles of the ancient sage-kings Yao and Shun. He also advised Duke Wen to "绝长补短" (leverage strengths to compensate for weaknesses), utilize regional advantages, and rule with benevolence, believing this could make the State of Teng a powerful nation.
Duke Wen listened to Mencius's discourse but neither agreed nor disagreed, merely responding with a smile.
Idioms Related to 绝长补短
Synonyms of 绝长补短
More idioms starting with 绝
- jué绝bù不hù护duǎn短never cover up one's own faults
- jué绝bù不qīng轻ráo饶never let off easily
- jué绝shì世jiā佳rén人A peerless beauty
- jué绝shì世chū出chén尘Peerless and transcendent
- jué绝shì世wú无lún伦Unparalleled in the world
- jué绝shì世wú无shuāng双unparalleled in the world
- jué绝shì世dú独lì立Unrivaled and independent
- jué绝shì世chāo超lún伦Unparalleled and surpassing all peers
- jué绝rén仁qì弃yì义reject benevolence and righteousness
- jué绝dài代jiā佳rén人a peerless beauty
- jué绝lún伦chāo超qún群Peerless and outstanding
- jué绝lún伦yì逸qún群Unrivaled and surpassing all others
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Open the tool →Questions about 绝长补短
What does 绝长补短 mean?
绝长补短 (jué cháng bǔ duǎn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to use one's strengths or advantages to compensate for one's weaknesses or shortcomings; to leverage strong points to offset deficiencies”.
How do you pronounce 绝长补短?
绝长补短 is pronounced jué cháng bǔ duǎn in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 绝长补短 literally mean?
Literally, 绝长补短 means “Cut the long to mend the short”. It is used to mean “to use one's strengths or advantages to compensate for one's weaknesses or shortcomings; to leverage strong points to offset deficiencies”.
Where does 绝长补短 come from?
绝长补短 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 绝长补短?
绝：截断。截取长的，补充短的。比喻用长处补短处。