DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
揚長避短
简 扬长避短 · 繁 揚長避短Mandarin · pinyin yáng cháng bì duǎn
Meanings
- to foster strengths and avoid weaknesses (idiom)
- to play to one's strengths
Characters in this entry
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.
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Mandarin tones
2–2–4–3 · yang2 chang2 bi4 duan3
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
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Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
joeng4 coeng4 bei6 dyun2
Cantonese word readings for 揚長避短. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
joeng4 coeng4 bei6 dyun2
Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (idiomatic) to make best use of one's advantages while avoiding their shortcomings
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack