Chinese word

十全十美

Pronunciation

Pinyinshí quán shí měi

Meaning

  • idiomperfect

Example

这个方案并非十全十美，还有改进空间。zhè ge fāng àn bìng fēi shí quán shí měi hái yǒu gǎi jìn kōng jiān

This plan is not perfect; there is still room for improvement.

Illustration for 十全十美 (perfect)

More examples

这件作品看起来十全十美，但仔细看会发现问题。zhè jiàn zuò pǐn kàn qǐ lái shí quán shí měi dàn zǐ xì kàn huì fā xiàn wèn tí

This work looks perfect, but a closer look reveals problems.

Core concept

An ideal result in which every part reaches a fully satisfactory state.

Common phrases

  • 几乎十全十美jī hū shí quán shí měi

    almost perfect

  • 看起来十全十美kàn qǐ lái shí quán shí měi

    looks perfect

Similar words

完美无缺wán měi wú quē: Entirely complete, with no faults or missing parts.
尽善尽美jìn shàn jìn měi: Doing everything required to an entirely satisfactory standard.
无可挑剔wú kě tiāo tī: So well finished that no fault can be found in any detail.

Definition in Chinese

形容事物没有任何缺点，十分完美。xíng róng shì wù méi yǒu rèn hé quē diǎn shí fēn wán měi

Word origin

十 (shí, "ten") marks fullness, while 全 (quán, "complete") and 美 (měi, "beautiful") create matching halves; their repetition presents an ideal with no missing quality.

Usage tips

  • The expression is more polished and emphatic than ordinary casual wording, so a positive use can sound exaggerated when the result is merely very good.

Opposites

  • 差强人意chā qiáng rén yìbarely satisfactoryidiom

Word lists with this word