諺語 · a single proverb
尺有所短，寸有所長
Simplified: 尺有所短，寸有所长
What does 尺有所短，寸有所長 (chǐ yǒu suǒ duǎn, cùn yǒu suǒ cháng) mean?
尺有所短，寸有所長 (chǐ yǒu suǒ duǎn, cùn yǒu suǒ cháng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "a foot can fall short; an inch can be long enough." In use it means: Even the larger measure has its shortcomings and the smaller its strengths: everyone has gifts and gaps, so judge no one, and least of all yourself, by a single scale. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Monkey.
Literally: "a foot can fall short; an inch can be long enough."
The reading
The thing you envy in someone else comes bundled with a lack you can't see, and the small measure you dismiss in yourself is exactly long enough for a job the tall ruler can't do. Stop ranking whole people by the one axis you happened to notice.
The story
The line is from the Chu Ci, in the piece Bu Ju attributed to Qu Yuan: a foot can fall short and an inch can be long enough. Its image is the measuring stick that has both a limit and a use, and it is used to temper judgment, the reminder that everyone carries gifts and gaps and no one should be ranked on a single scale.
The thing you envy in someone comes bundled with a lack you cannot see, and the small measure you dismiss in yourself is exactly long enough for a job the tall ruler cannot do. Stop ranking whole people, yourself first of all, by the one axis you happened to notice.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Chu Ci 楚辭, Bu Ju 卜居 (attrib. Qu Yuan)
Sits beside
一山不容二虎
yī shān bù róng èr hǔ
Two rivals of great strength rarely share a single territory.
知己知彼，百戰不殆
zhī jǐ zhī bǐ, bǎi zhàn bù dài
Understanding both your own nature and the situation lets you face any contest safely.
滿招損，謙受益
mǎn zhāo sǔn, qiān shòu yì
Complacency and self-satisfaction erode what you have.
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Monkey, Year of the Tiger, and Year of the Pig.
Questions
Is 尺有所短，寸有所長 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 尺有所短，寸有所長 (chǐ yǒu suǒ duǎn, cùn yǒu suǒ cháng) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Chu Ci 楚辭, Bu Ju 卜居 (attrib. Qu Yuan). It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 尺有所短，寸有所長?
In Mandarin it is chǐ yǒu suǒ duǎn, cùn yǒu suǒ cháng. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 尺有所短，寸有所長 aloud in Mandarin.