Chinese idioms like 「瑜不揜瑕」 represent a high level of language skill. This free guide helps you learn their meaning and use.
Today’s idiom is 「瑜不揜瑕」. We’ve outlined its meaning and practical application below.
Yu: the luster of jade, a metaphor for advantages; Xia: spots on jade, a metaphor for shortcomings. Originally it referred to the nature of jade, that beauty and ugliness cannot cover up each other. Later it was often used to illustrate that advantages cannot cover up disadvantages.
The Mandarin pronunciation of this idiom is :
yú bù yǎn xiá
while its Cantonese pinyin is :
yu4 bat1 yim2/am2 ha4
There are a countless number of Chinese idioms, each with unique meanings and applications. We’ve provided these resources to help guide you as you dive deeper into learning Chinese.
