How do you pronounce 取长补短?

取长补短 is pronounced qǔ cháng bǔ duǎn in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 取长补短 literally mean?

Literally, 取长补短 means “take strengths, supplement weaknesses”. It is used to mean “to learn from others' strengths to offset one's own weaknesses”.

Where does 取长补短 come from?

取长补短 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 取长补短?

吸取别人的长处，来弥补自己的不足之处。也泛指在同类事物中吸取这个的长处来弥补那个的短处。

取长补短 — “To learn from others' strengths to offset one's own weaknesses”

取长补短 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to learn from others' strengths to offset one's own weaknesses”. To combine the advantages of different things to compensate for their shortcomings; to complement each other. Literally, “take strengths, supplement weaknesses”.

Frequency

取长补短 Pronunciation and Pinyin

取qǔ
长cháng
补bǔ
短duǎn

取长补短 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
取	qǔ	8	to take, obtain, or choose
长	cháng	4	long, grow, excel, chief
补	bǔ	8	mend, supplement, or benefit
短	duǎn	12	short, brief, lack, flaw

Example Sentence with 取长补短

在团队合作中，大家应该互相取长补短，这样才能发挥出最大的合力，顺利完成项目。

In team collaboration, everyone should learn from each other's strengths to compensate for their weaknesses, so as to exert the greatest synergy and successfully complete the project.

Origin and Story of 取长补短

During the Warring States period, when Duke Wen of Teng was traveling from the State of Chu and passed through the State of Song, he met Mencius.

Mencius expounded on the inherent goodness of human nature, encouraging the Duke to govern his state according to the benevolent principles of legendary sage-kings Yao and Shun. He also advised the Duke to 'take strengths and compensate for weaknesses,' urging him to leverage the regional advantages of Teng and govern with benevolence, which could enable Teng to become a strong state.

Duke Wen of Teng listened to Mencius's discourse but did not explicitly agree or disagree, merely responding with a smile.

Idioms Related to 取长补短

Synonyms of 取长补短

yáng扬cháng长bì避duǎn短capitalize on strengths, avoid weaknesses

Antonyms of 取长补短

gù故bù步zì自fēng封stick to old ways

More idioms starting with 取

Questions about 取长补短

What does 取长补短 mean?: 取长补短 (qǔ cháng bǔ duǎn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to learn from others' strengths to offset one's own weaknesses”.
How do you pronounce 取长补短?: 取长补短 is pronounced qǔ cháng bǔ duǎn in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 取长补短 literally mean?: Literally, 取长补短 means “take strengths, supplement weaknesses”. It is used to mean “to learn from others' strengths to offset one's own weaknesses”.
Where does 取长补短 come from?: 取长补短 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 取长补短?: 吸取别人的长处，来弥补自己的不足之处。也泛指在同类事物中吸取这个的长处来弥补那个的短处。

Copy the pinyin for 取长补短 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.