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瑕不掩瑜

Mandarin · pinyin xiá bù yǎn yú

lit. a blemish does not obscure jade's luster
the pros outweigh the cons (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

瑕: xiá · flaw in gem; fault, defect
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
掩: yǎn · to cover (with the hand); shut, conceal; ambush
瑜: yú · flawless gem or jewel

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

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Mandarin tones

2–4–3–2 · xia2 bu4 yan3 yu2

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

haa4 bat1 jim2 jyu4

Cantonese word readings for 瑕不掩瑜. 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) small defects cannot obscure the great virtues; the pros outweigh the cons

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

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