良莠不齐
liáng yǒu bù qí
good and bad mixed together; of very uneven quality
Character by character
良liáng
good
good
莠yǒu
weeds
weeds
不bù
not
not
齐qí
even
even
Example
网上的健身课程良莠不齐，选之前最好先看看教练的资质。
Online fitness courses vary enormously in quality, so check the trainer’s qualifications before you choose.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
莠 (yǒu) is a weed that looks like young millet, so the picture is a field where crops and weeds grow side by side. Said of markets, products, schools and applicants: 市场良莠不齐, 质量良莠不齐. Do not read 莠 as xiù. Compare 鱼龙混杂 (lesson 3-11), which stresses that good and bad are mixed up together, above all of people and information; 良莠不齐 stresses uneven quality.
Learn this in Lesson 238 · HSK 9+: 拍卖与赝品 (Auctions and fakes)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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