差強人意

See also: 差强人意

Chinese

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!

 
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; powerful; better

!man; person; people

!

 
idea; meaning; wish; desire; (abbr.) Italy

|- !trad. (差強人意) | 差 | 強 | 人 | 意 |- !simp. (差强人意) | 差 | 强 | 人 | 意 |- !alt. forms |差彊人意 |}

Etymology

帝時遣人觀大司馬何為，還言方修戰攻之具，乃嘆曰：「吳公差彊人意，隱若一敵國矣。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.][▼ expand/hide]
帝时遣人观大司马何为，还言方修战攻之具，乃叹曰：“吴公差强人意，隐若一敌国矣。” [Classical 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 example)

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

Pronunciation

Idiom

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; not the bomb
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