諺語 · a single proverb
以己之長，補己之短
Simplified: 以己之长，补己之短
What does 以己之長，補己之短 (yǐ jǐ zhī cháng bǔ jǐ zhī duǎn) mean?
以己之長，補己之短 (yǐ jǐ zhī cháng bǔ jǐ zhī duǎn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "use your strengths to compensate for your weaknesses." In use it means: Play to your advantages while honestly addressing your gaps; strategic self-awareness produces the best results. 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: "use your strengths to compensate for your weaknesses."
The reading
You have a long arm and a short arm. You can spend your life stretching the short one, or you can learn to reach with the long one while the short one holds steady. Both arms have a job. The mistake is pretending both are the same length. The wisdom is giving each the task it does best.
What kind of proverb it is
Source General philosophical maxim; echoes Mencius and Xunzi on self-cultivation
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
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 Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 以己之長，補己之短 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 以己之長，補己之短 (yǐ jǐ zhī cháng bǔ jǐ zhī duǎn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from General philosophical maxim; echoes Mencius and Xunzi on self-cultivation. 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 以己之長，補己之短?
In Mandarin it is yǐ jǐ zhī cháng bǔ jǐ zhī duǎn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 以己之長，補己之短 aloud in Mandarin.