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兩全其美

简两全其美 · 繁兩全其美

Mandarin · pinyin liǎng quán qí měi

to satisfy rival demands (idiom)
to get the best of both worlds
to have it both ways
to have one's cake and eat it too

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Characters in this entry

兩: liǎng · two, both, pair, couple; ounce
全: quán · maintain, keep whole or intact
其: qí · his, her, its, their; that
美: měi · beautiful, pretty; pleasing
两: liǎng · two, both, pair, couple; ounce

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–2–2–3 · liang3 quan2 qi2 mei3

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

兩全其美 · find source passages ↗ · 两全其美 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

loeng5 cyun4 kei4 mei5

Cantonese word readings for 兩全其美. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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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.

phrase

(idiomatic) to reach a resolution that satisfies both sides by taking both sides into consideration; to have it both ways; to have the best of both worlds

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

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