Definition
扬长避短 is a four-character idiom (成语) meaning 'to play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses'. It's used in both personal and professional contexts — career advice, team management, strategy, and self-improvement. The literal image is 'raise the long, avoid the short', where 'long' and 'short' metaphorically refer to advantages and disadvantages.
f.e.
to make the most of one's strengths and avoid one's weaknessesto play to one's strengths
Examples
- ，扬长避短。Zài gōngzuò zhōng, wǒmen yào xuéhuì yáng cháng.At work, we need to learn to play to our strengths and avoid our weaknesses.
- ，扬长避短。Tā xuǎnzé zhège zhuānyè, zhèngshì wèile yáng cháng.He chose this major precisely to make the most of his strengths and avoid his weaknesses.
- 扬长避短，。Yí gè yōuxiù de tuánduì dǒngde yáng cháng, fāhuī měi gè rén de tècháng.An excellent team knows how to play to its strengths and avoid its weaknesses, leveraging each person's specialty.
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