bun3 gan1 baat3 loeng5半斤八兩半斤八两
Jyutpingbun3 gan1 baat3 loeng5
Yalebun gān baat léuhng
Definition
Six of one, half a dozen of the other; equally matched with no significant difference between two parties.
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
This idiom originates from the traditional Chinese weighing system where sixteen taels make one catty, meaning eight taels is exactly half a catty. It is almost exclusively used in a negative or critical context to point out that two people or things are equally bad or mediocre. It carries a sense of irony, suggesting that neither party has the moral high ground or superior ability to judge the other.
Examples
The two of them are six of one and half a dozen of the other; neither should laugh at the other.
Do you think their skills are about the same?
Related words
Common phrases
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe two people who are equally good at something, as it almost always implies a shared lack of quality or a mutual flaw.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
