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短板

Mandarin · pinyin duǎn bǎn

short stave of the barrel (which allows the contents to escape)
(fig.) shortcoming; weak point

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短: duǎn · short; brief; deficient, lacking
板: bǎn · plank, board; iron or tin plate

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Mandarin tones

3–3 · duan3 ban3

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

(literally) short stave of a barrel (which allows the contents to escape)
(figurative) shortcoming; weak point

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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