Definition
This chengyu (four-character idiom) means to draw on others' strengths to make up for one's own weaknesses. It describes a collaborative or self-improvement mindset where different parties compensate for each other's deficiencies.
f.e.
to draw on others' strong points to offset one's weaknessesto learn from each other's strengths
Examples
- ,取长补短,。Zài gōngzuò zhōng, wǒmen yào xuéhuì qǔ cháng bǔ duǎn, gòngtóng jìnbù.At work, we should learn to learn from each other's strengths and make progress together.
- ,取长补短。Měi ge tuánduì dōu yǒu bùtóng de réncái, zhòngyào de shì nénggòu qǔ cháng bǔ duǎn.Every team has different talents; the important thing is to complement each other's strengths and weaknesses.
- ,取长补短,。Tāmen hùxiāng xuéxí, qǔ cháng bǔ duǎn, hěn kuài jiù tígāo le jìnéng.They learned from each other, offsetting weaknesses with strengths, and soon improved their skills.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.