伯仲之间 bó zhòng zhī jiān between brothers/equal

Explanation

伯仲之间，指的是兄弟排行，伯是老大，仲是老二。这个成语用来形容两者实力相当，难分高下。

Bó zhòng zhī jiān refers to the ranking of brothers, with bó being the eldest and zhòng being the second eldest. This idiom is used to describe two things of equal strength, making it difficult to distinguish between them.

Origin Story

话说东汉时期，有两个才华横溢的谋士，名叫张良和陈平。两人都辅佐过汉高祖刘邦，为汉朝的建立立下了汗马功劳。后世之人常常拿他们二人作比较，谁更胜一筹呢？其实，两人都是杰出的谋略家，在才能上可谓伯仲之间，难分高下。张良以其深谋远虑、运筹帷幄的才能著称，而陈平则以其随机应变、化解危机的能力见长。两人各有优势，各有特点，没有谁绝对比谁更优秀。他们的故事，也成为后世人们评价人才时常常引用的典故。

huà shuō dōng hàn shíqí, yǒu liǎng ge cái huá héng yì de móushì, míng jiào zhāng liáng hé chén píng. liǎng rén dōu fǔzuǒ guò hàn gāozǔ liú bāng, wèi hàn cháo de jiànlì lì xià le hàn mǎ gōngláo. hòushì zhī rén cháng cháng ná tāmen èr rén zuò bǐjiào, shuí gèng shèng yī chóu ne? qíshí, liǎng rén dōu shì jié chū de móu lüè jiā, zài cáinéng shàng kě wèi bó zhòng zhī jiān, nán fēn gāo xià. zhāng liáng yǐ qí shēn móu yuǎnlǜ, yùnchóu wéiwò de cáinéng zhùchēng, ér chén píng zé yǐ qí suíjī yìngbiàn, huàjiě wēijī de nénglì jiàncháng. liǎng rén gè yǒu yōushì, gè yǒu tèdiǎn, méiyǒu shuí jué duì bǐ shuí gèng yōuxiù. tāmen de gùshì, yě chéngwéi hòushì rénmen píngjià rén cái shí cháng cháng yǐnyòng de diǎngù.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were two brilliant strategists named Zhang Liang and Chen Ping. Both served Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang and made significant contributions to the establishment of the Han Dynasty. Later generations often compared them, wondering who was superior. In reality, both were outstanding strategists, their abilities being almost equal. Zhang Liang was known for his far-sighted planning and strategic thinking, while Chen Ping excelled at improvisation and crisis resolution. Each had his strengths, neither clearly superior to the other. Their story remains a classic anecdote used when assessing talent.

Usage

这个成语常用来形容两人或两件事物实力相当，难以区分优劣。

zhège chéngyǔ cháng yòng lái xíngróng liǎng rén huò liǎng jiàn shìwù shílì xiāngdāng, nányǐ qufēn yōuliè.

This idiom is often used to describe two people or things that are equally strong and difficult to distinguish between.

Examples

• 两位选手的实力在伯仲之间，难以分出胜负。

  liǎng wèi xuǎnshǒu de shílì zài bó zhòng zhī jiān, nán yǐ fēn chū shèngfú

  The two players are evenly matched, making it hard to determine a winner.

• 这两个方案各有千秋，可谓伯仲之间。

  zhè liǎng ge fāng'àn gè yǒu qiānqiū, kě wèi bó zhòng zhī jiān

  These two plans are equally good, it's hard to say which is better

Related Idioms

• 不相上下

• 旗鼓相当

Opposite Idioms

• 天壤之别

• 悬殊