瑕不掩瑜

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Chinese

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blemish; flaw in jade not; no cover up; to surprise excellence; lustre of gems
trad. (瑕不掩瑜)
simp. #(瑕不掩瑜)
Literally: “a blemish does not obscure jade's luster”.

Etymology

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From the Book of Rites, Book 48 (《禮記·聘義》):

昔者君子溫潤縝密清越瑕不掩瑜精神山川天下 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
昔者君子温润缜密清越瑕不掩瑜精神山川天下 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: The Book of Rites, c. 4th – 2nd century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
Fú xīzhě jūnzǐ bǐ dé yú yù yān: wēnrùn ér zé, rén yě; zhěnmì yǐ lì, zhì yě; lián ér bù guì, yì yě; chuí zhī rú zhuì, lǐ yě; kòu zhī qí shēng qīngyuè yǐ cháng, qí zhōng qūrán, yuè yě; xiá bù yǎn yú, yú bù yǎn xiá, zhōng yě; fú yǐn páng dá, xìn yě; qì rú bái hóng, tiān yě; jīngshén jiàn yú shānchuān, dì yě; guī zhāng tè dá, dé yě. Tiānxià mò bù guì zhě, dào yě. [Pinyin]
Anciently superior men found the likeness of all excellent qualities in jade. Soft, smooth, and glossy, it appeared to them like benevolence; fine, compact, and strong - like intelligence; angular, but not sharp and cutting - like righteousness; hanging down (in beads) as if it would fall to the ground - like (the humility of) propriety; when struck, yielding a note, clear and prolonged, yet terminating abruptly - like music; its flaws not concealing its beauty, nor its beauty concealing its flaws - like loyalty; with an internal radiance issuing from it on every side - like good faith; bright as a brilliant rainbow - like heaven; exquisite and mysterious, appearing in the hills and streams - like the earth; standing out conspicuous in the symbols of rank - like virtue; esteemed by all under the sky, - like the path of truth and duty.

Pronunciation

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Idiom

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瑕不掩瑜

  1. small defects cannot obscure the great virtues; the pros outweigh the cons

Antonyms

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