瑕不掩瑜 Xiá bù yǎn yú Flaws do not obscure the virtues

Explanation

瑕不掩瑜，指缺点掩盖不了优点，优点是主要的，缺点是次要的。比喻事物好的方面超过坏的方面，整体上还是好的。

Xia bu yan yu means that the shortcomings cannot cover the advantages, the advantages are the main ones, and the shortcomings are secondary. It is a metaphor that the good aspects of a thing outweigh the bad aspects, and the whole is still good.

Origin Story

很久以前，在一个美丽富饶的国家，住着一位技艺高超的玉雕师。他雕琢的玉器，精巧绝伦，深受人们喜爱。然而，一次，他雕刻的一件珍贵的玉佩，却出现了一个小小的瑕疵——一个细小的裂纹。这个裂纹虽然微不足道，但玉雕师却为此苦恼不已，他反复斟酌，最终决定保留这个瑕疵。他认为，这小小的瑕疵，并没有影响玉佩整体的美丽和价值，反而增添了一丝独特韵味。他将这件略有瑕疵却光彩照人的玉佩命名为‘瑕不掩瑜’。人们纷纷赞叹玉佩的美丽，并从此用‘瑕不掩瑜’来形容那些拥有缺点，但优点更为突出的人或事物。

hěn jiǔ yǐqián, zài yīgè měilì fùráo de guójiā, zhùzhe yī wèi jìyì gāochāo de yù diāoshī。tā diāozhuó de yùqì, jīngqiǎo jūelún, shēnshòu rénmen xǐ'ài。rán'ér, yīcì, tā diāokè de yī jiàn zhēnguì de yù pèi, què chūxiànle yīgè xiǎoxiǎo de xiácī——yīgè xìxiǎo de lièwén。zhège lièwén suīrán wēi bùzúdào, dàn yù diāoshī què wèicǐ kǔnǎo bù yǐ, tā fǎnfù zhēnzhùo, zuìzhōng juédìng bǎoliú zhège xiácī。tā rènwéi, zhè xiǎoxiǎo de xiácī, bìng méiyǒu yǐngxiǎng yù pèi zhěngtǐ de měilì hé jiàzhí, fǎn'ér zēngtiānle yīsī dútè yùnwèi。tā jiāng zhè jiàn luò yǒu xiácī què guāngcǎi zhàorén de yù pèi mìngmíng wèi ‘xiá bù yǎn yú’。rénmen fēnfēn zàntàn yù pèi de měilì, bìng cóngcǐ yòng ‘xiá bù yǎn yú’ lái xiānróng nàxiē yǒngyǒu quēdiǎn, dàn yōudiǎn gèng wéi tūchū de rén huò shìwù。

Long ago, in a beautiful and prosperous country, there lived a highly skilled jade carver. The jade artifacts he carved were exquisite and deeply loved by people. However, once, a precious jade pendant he carved had a small flaw—a tiny crack. Although this crack was insignificant, the jade carver was worried about it. After much deliberation, he finally decided to keep the flaw. He believed that this small flaw did not affect the overall beauty and value of the jade pendant, but instead added a touch of unique charm. He named this slightly flawed but radiant jade pendant 'Xia bu yan yu'. People marveled at the beauty of the jade pendant, and since then have used 'Xia bu yan yu' to describe those people or things that have flaws, but whose strengths are more prominent.

Usage

用来形容虽然有缺点，但优点更多，整体上还是好的。常用来评价人或事物。

yòng lái xiānróng suīrán yǒu quēdiǎn, dàn yōudiǎn gèng duō, zhěngtǐ shàng háishi hǎo de。cháng yòng lái píngjià rén huò shìwù。

Used to describe something that has more advantages than disadvantages, and is good overall. Often used to evaluate people or things.

Examples

• 他虽然有些小缺点，但瑕不掩瑜，整体来说还是个优秀的人才。

  tā suīrán yǒuxiē xiǎo quēdiǎn, dàn xiá bù yǎn yú, zhěngtǐ lái shuō háishi gè yōuxiù de réncái。

  He has some shortcomings, but his merits outweigh his demerits, and he is a great talent overall.

• 这部电影虽然有些不足之处，但瑕不掩瑜，整体上还是一部值得推荐的好片。

  zhè bù diànyǐng suīrán yǒuxiē bùzú zhī chù, dàn xiá bù yǎn yú, zhěngtǐ shàng háishi yībù zhídé tuījiàn de hǎo piàn。

  Although this movie has some flaws, its merits still outweigh its demerits, and it is still a good movie worth recommending.

Related Idioms

• 白璧無瑕

• 完美無缺

Opposite Idioms

• 瑜不掩瑕