盡善盡美

See also: 尽善尽美

Chinese

		to use up; to exhaust; to end to use up; to exhaust; to end; to finish; to the utmost; exhausted; finished; to the limit (of sth)	good	to use up; to exhaust; to end to use up; to exhaust; to end; to finish; to the utmost; exhausted; finished; to the limit (of sth)	beautiful; beauty; America
trad. (盡善盡美)		盡	善	盡	美
simp. (尽善尽美)		尽	善	尽	美
Literally: “to exhaust what is good and beautiful; to be unsurpassed in goodness and beauty”.

Etymology

From the Analects, Book 3 (《論語·八佾》):

子謂韶，「盡美矣，又盡善也。」謂武，「盡美矣，未盡善也」。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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子谓韶，「尽美矣，又尽善也。」谓武，「尽美矣，未尽善也」。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Zǐ wèi Sháo, “jìn měi yǐ, yòu jìn shàn yě.” Wèi Wǔ, “jìn měi yǐ, wèi jìn shàn yě”. [Pinyin]

The Master said of the Shao that it was perfectly beautiful and also perfectly good. He said of the Wu that it was perfectly beautiful but not perfectly good.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jìnshànjìnměi

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄕㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄇㄟˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zeon⁶ sin⁶ zeon⁶ mei⁵
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chīn-siān-chīn-bí

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jìnshànjìnměi
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄕㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄇㄟˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jìnshànjìnměi
    • Wade–Giles: chin⁴-shan⁴-chin⁴-mei³
    • Yale: jìn-shàn-jìn-měi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jinnshannjinnmeei
    • Palladius: цзиньшаньцзиньмэй (czinʹšanʹczinʹmɛj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕin⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂän⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕin⁵¹ meɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zeon⁶ sin⁶ zeon⁶ mei⁵
    • Yale: jeuhn sihn jeuhn méih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzoen⁶ sin⁶ dzoen⁶ mei⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: zên⁶ xin⁶ zên⁶ méi⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɵn²² siːn²² t͡sɵn²² mei̯¹³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chīn-siān-chīn-bí
    • Tâi-lô: tsīn-siān-tsīn-bí
    • Phofsit Daibuun: cixnsiexncixnbie
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sin²²⁻²¹ siɛn²²⁻²¹ t͡sin²²⁻²¹ bi⁵³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sin⁴¹⁻²² siɛn⁴¹⁻²² t͡sin⁴¹⁻²² bi⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sin²²⁻²¹ siɛn²²⁻²¹ t͡sin²²⁻²¹ bi⁵³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡sin³³⁻¹¹ siɛn³³⁻¹¹ t͡sin³³⁻¹¹ bi⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sin³³⁻²¹ siɛn³³⁻²¹ t͡sin³³⁻²¹ bi⁴¹/

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• Middle Chinese: dzinX dzyenX dzinX mijX

Rime
Character	盡	善	美
Reading #	1/2	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	從 (15)	常 (25)	明 (4)
Final (韻)	眞 (43)	仙 (77)	脂 (17)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Rising (X)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	III	III
Fanqie	慈忍切	常演切	無鄙切
Baxter	dzinX	dzyenX	mijX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/d͡ziɪnX/	/d͡ʑiᴇnX/	/mˠiɪX/
Pan Wuyun	/d͡zinX/	/d͡ʑiɛnX/	/mᵚiX/
Shao Rongfen	/d͡zjenX/	/d͡ʑjænX/	/miɪX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/d͡zinX/	/d͡ʑianX/	/mjiX/
Li Rong	/d͡ziĕnX/	/ʑiɛnX/	/mjiX/
Wang Li	/d͡zĭĕnX/	/ʑĭɛnX/	/miX/
Bernard Karlgren	/d͡zʱi̯ĕnX/	/ʑi̯ɛnX/	/miX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	jìn	shàn	mǐ
Expected Cantonese Reflex	zan6	sin6	mei5

Idiom

盡善盡美

1. perfect; flawless

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (盡善盡美):

• → Vietnamese: tận thiện tận mỹ (盡善盡美)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
盡	善	盡	美

Idiom

盡善盡美

1. chữ Hán form of tận thiện tận mỹ (“very good or beautiful”).