haa4 bat1 jim2 jyu4瑕不掩瑜

Jyutpinghaa4 bat1 jim2 jyu4

Yalehàh bāt yím yùh

語句

Definition

One's flaws are outweighed by one's excellence; the shortcomings do not ruin the overall merits.

writtendescriptions

How it's used

This idiom is a formal expression used to praise someone or something that is generally good despite having minor faults. It is rarely used in casual, everyday conversation and is more common in written reviews, critiques, or formal evaluations. Using it in a very informal setting can make you sound overly academic or stiff.

Examples

le1呢gin2件zok3作ban2品haa4瑕bat1不jim2掩jyu4瑜，zik6值dak1得jan1欣soeng2賞。

This work has minor flaws but is still excellent and worth appreciating.

seoi1雖jin4然keoi5佢biu2表jin6現jau5有haa4瑕bat1不jim2掩jyu4瑜zi1之cyu5處，daan6但zing2整tai2體hou2好ceot1出sik1色。

Although their performance had minor flaws, it was excellent overall.

Common phrases

haa4瑕bat1不jim2掩jyu4瑜zi1之cyu5處

aspects where the flaws do not obscure the merits

Common mistake

Learners often mistakenly use this phrase to mean "the flaws are hidden by the good points," but the literal meaning is that the flaw does not obscure the jade, meaning the good qualities remain visible and dominant. Do not use it to describe something that is fundamentally broken or bad.