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尺短寸長

简尺短寸长 · 繁尺短寸長

Mandarin · pinyin chǐ duǎn cùn cháng

abbr. for 尺有所短，寸有所長 chǐ yǒu suǒ duǎn, cùn yǒu suǒ cháng

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Characters in this entry

尺: chǐ · Chinese measure approx. 'foot'
短: duǎn · short; brief; deficient, lacking
寸: cùn · inch; small, tiny; Kangxi radical 41
長: zhǎng · long; length; excel in; leader; Kangxi radical 168
长: zhǎng · long; length; excel in; leader

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

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Mandarin tones

3–3–4–2 · chi3 duan3 cun4 chang2

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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.

尺短寸長 · find source passages ↗ · 尺短寸长 · find source passages ↗

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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) everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses

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

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