· Zidian ·Learn ·Pinyin ·HSK ·Quiz ·Radicals ·Tools
中文 Sheets
My Favorites
No favorites yet
History
No history yet
Home / Idiom / 截长补短

take from the long to supplement the short (idiom) · to offset each other's deficiencies · to complement each other

截长补短
jié cháng bǔ duǎn
j+ié·2nd tonech+áng·2nd toneb+ǔ·3rd toned+uǎn·3rd tone
Idiom
Chain
New to Chinese?Start with pinyin·See the learning path
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
to foster strengths and avoid weaknesses (idiom) · to play to one's strengths扬长避短yáng cháng bì duǎncollecting opinions is of wide benefit (idiom); to pool wisdom for mutual benefit · to profit from widespread suggestions集思广益jí sī guǎng yìlit. use others' strengths to make up for one's weak points (idiom from Mencius) · to use this in place of that · what you lose on the swings, you win on the roundabouts取长补短qǔ cháng bǔ duǎnto take from the rich and give to the poor (idiom)裒多益寡póu duō yì guǎ
Antonyms
lit. if it's wrong, it's wrong (idiom); to make the best after a mistake · to accept an error and adapt to it · to muddle through将错就错jiāng cuò jiù cuò
Want to practice speaking with a real teacher? Find a 1-on-1 Chinese tutor on italki (affiliate)