瑕不掩瑜

Chinese

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

Etymology

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

夫昔者君子比德於玉焉：溫潤而澤，仁也；縝密以栗，知也；廉而不劌，義也；垂之如隊，禮也；叩之其聲清越以長，其終詘然，樂也；瑕不掩瑜、瑜不掩瑕，忠也；孚尹旁達，信也；氣如白虹，天也；精神見於山川，地也；圭璋特達，德也。天下莫不貴者，道也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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夫昔者君子比德于玉焉：温润而泽，仁也；缜密以栗，知也；廉而不刿，义也；垂之如队，礼也；叩之其声清越以长，其终诎然，乐也；瑕不掩瑜、瑜不掩瑕，忠也；孚尹旁达，信也；气如白虹，天也；精神见于山川，地也；圭璋特达，德也。天下莫不贵者，道也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd 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

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xiábùyǎnyú

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄚˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄧㄢˇ ㄩˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): haa⁴ bat¹ jim² jyu⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xiábùyǎnyú
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄚˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄧㄢˇ ㄩˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: siábùyǎnyú
    • Wade–Giles: hsia²-pu⁴-yen³-yü²
    • Yale: syá-bù-yǎn-yú
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyabuyeanyu
    • Palladius: сябуяньюй (sjabujanʹjuj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ä³⁵ pu⁵¹ jɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ y³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: haa⁴ bat¹ jim² jyu⁴
    • Yale: hàh bāt yím yùh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: haa⁴ bat⁷ jim² jy⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: ha⁴ bed¹ yim² yu⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /haː²¹ pɐt̚⁵ jiːm³⁵ jyː²¹/

Idiom

瑕不掩瑜

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

Antonyms

• 瑜難掩瑕／瑜难掩瑕