取长补短 qǔ cháng bǔ duǎn

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. use others' strengths to make up for one's weak points (idiom from Mencius)
  2. to use this in place of that
  3. what you lose on the swings, you win on the roundabouts

CHARACTERS

取 qǔ
HSK 4
take, receive, obtain; select
长 cháng
HSK 2
long; length; excel in; leader
补 bǔ
HSK 5
mend, patch, fix, repair, restore
短 duǎn
HSK 3
short; brief; deficient, lacking