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面面俱到 (miàn miàn jù dào) — comprehensive; thorough; covering every aspect

Definition

An idiom meaning 'attends to every aspect' — usually describes a person's handling of a task or a written work. 全面 is a plain adjective for 'comprehensive' things; 面面俱到 emphasizes thorough effort that covers all sides.

phrase
comprehensivethoroughcovering every aspect

Examples

  • 面面俱到，。
    Tā de gōng zuò bào gào xiě dé miàn miàn jù dào, dé dào le lǎo bǎn de biǎo yáng.
    Her work report was written thoroughly and received praise from the boss.
  • 面面俱到，。
    Zhè cì huó dòng ān pái dé rú cǐ miàn miàn jù dào, ràng wǒ men hěn fàng xīn.
    This event arrangement is so comprehensive that it puts us at ease.
  • 面面俱到，。
    Tā zuò shì yí xiàng miàn miàn jù dào, měi gè xì jié dōu zhào gù dào.
    He always does things thoroughly, taking care of every detail.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

面 originally drew a man’s face, with one eye exaggerated; the horizontal stroke was added later.

Open 面 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

面 originally drew a man’s face, with one eye exaggerated; the horizontal stroke was added later.

Open 面 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
具
具jù俱jù
Same sound today

俱 pairs 亻, a form of 人 (person), with 具 as the sound part.

Open 俱 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
至至zhìto arrive
Sound part声符shēngfú
刀
刀dāo到dào
Same sound today

到 combines 至, meaning 'to arrive', with 刀 as the sound part. The 至 part points to the idea of reaching a stopping point.

Open 到 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Idioms & Set Phrases

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.