DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

勤能補拙

简勤能补拙 · 繁勤能補拙

Mandarin · pinyin qín néng bǔ zhuō

(idiom) hard work can make up for lack of natural talent

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

勤: qín · industrious, diligent, attentive
能: néng · to be able; can, permitted to; ability
補: Look up this written character
拙: zhuō · stupid, clumsy, crude; convention
补: bǔ · mend, patch, fix, repair, restore

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

2–2–3–1 · qin2 neng2 bu3 zhuo1

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

4character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

勤能補拙 · find source passages ↗ · 勤能补拙 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

kan4 nang4 bou2 zyut3

Cantonese word readings for 勤能補拙. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) diligence makes up for one's dullness

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack