CHENGYU
十全十美(shí quán shí měi)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral
- Source:
- 俗语（明清以来常用）
MEANING
- Literal
- ten out of ten, perfectly beautiful
- Figurative meaning
- flawless; perfect in every way
ORIGIN STORY
A popular saying built on the completeness of the number ten; it is usually used in the negative to say that nothing is truly perfect.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“picture-perfect”
EXAMPLES
没有人是十全十美的。Méiyǒu rén shì shí quán shí měi de.HSK5
No one is perfect.
这件事办得十全十美，大家都满意。Zhè jiàn shì bàn de shí quán shí měi, dàjiā dōu mǎnyì.HSK5
The matter was handled perfectly and everyone is satisfied.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Frequently used with a negative; claiming it about yourself can sound boastful.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-14
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01