差強人意

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See also: 差强人意

Chinese

[edit]
differ from; short of; to lack
differ from; short of; to lack; poor; send; a messenger; a mission; to commission; uneven; difference; discrepancy; to differ; error; to err; to make a mistake
 
strength; force; power
strength; force; power; powerful; better
 
man; person; people
idea; meaning; wish
idea; meaning; wish; desire; Italy (abbrev.)
 
trad. (差強人意)
simp. (差强人意)
alternative forms 差彊人意

Etymology

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大司馬戰攻:「差彊人意。」 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
大司马战攻:「差强人意。」 [Literary Chinese, simp.]
From: The Book of the Later Han, circa 5th century CE
Dì shí qiǎn rén guān dàsīmǎ hé wèi, hái yán fāng xiū zhàngōng zhī jù, nǎi tàn yuē: “Wúgōng chāqiángrényì, yǐn ruò yī dí guó yǐ.” [Pinyin]
(please add an English translation of this usage example)

Sense #2 is a recent re-interpretation of the in this idiom as “below standard”.

Pronunciation

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Note: caa1 koeng5 jan4 ji3 - alternative reading for sense #2.

Idiom

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差強人意

  1. (approvingly) just passable; fair; adequate
  2. (neologism, disapprovingly) below standard and not quite satisfactory; barely acceptable; not that great; just ok
    Synonym: 強差人意强差人意