Skip to content
qín 勤 néng 能 bǔ 补 zhuō 拙

勤能补拙 qín néng bǔ zhuō

hard work can make up for lack of talent

Literally: diligence can compensate clumsiness

Intermediate 📚 Study & effort
🃏 Practise intermediate chengyu

Tap a character above to see its stroke order and the words it appears in.

Origin

From a poem by the Tang poet Bai Juyi: 救烦无若静,补拙莫如勤.

How to use it

Standalone or predicate; positive, encouraging. 相信勤能补拙.

Example sentences

Show:

Tap any word for its meaning and pinyin. The chengyu is highlighted.

  1. 我不聪明，但是我相信勤能补拙。
    Wǒ bù cōngming, dànshì wǒ xiāngxìn qín néng bǔ zhuō.
    I'm not clever, but I believe hard work makes up for it.
    I not clever, but I believe diligence can compensate clumsiness
  2. 老师常说勤能补拙，多练习就会进步。
    Lǎoshī cháng shuō qín néng bǔ zhuō, duō liànxí jiù huì jìnbù.
    The teacher often says diligence makes up for weakness; practise more and you will improve.
    teacher often say diligence can compensate clumsiness, more practise then will progress

More chengyu about study & effort

All study & effort chengyu →