美中不足

měizhōng-bùzú

a small flaw in sth otherwise perfect; the fly in the ointment

HSK 3.0 word list · Band 7
Dictionary entry

everything is fine except for one small defect (idiom); the fly in the ointment

Watch it being written

Every character draws itself stroke by stroke, then hands you the brush to trace it yourself.

美
中
不
足

See it in sentences

这次旅行美中不足。

Zhè cì lǚxíng měizhōng-bùzú.

English

This trip was fine except for one flaw.

房间很好，美中不足是太吵。

Fángjiān hěn hǎo, měizhōng-bùzú shì tài chǎo.

English

The room is nice; the fly in the ointment is noise.

Built with this character · 32 words

Chinese words snap together like bricks. Every word below shares a character with this one, so you are already halfway to knowing it.

美
中
不
足

Anki, PDF and audio with Pro

HearMandarinTodayLearnPracticeReviewMePro

Pro, $49 once

Everything from Band 5 up, and your words as files

  • Hear every story beyond Band 4, line by line
  • The full 720 question test bank, every answer explained
  • Every band as an Anki deck, CSV, PDF and offline audio
  • The slang deck: 185 expressions with audio
Get Pro, $49

This opens the website. The iPhone and iPad app is a separate purchase on the App Store. Read about the app.

Secure checkout by Creem. 14 day refund, no subscription, no account. See everything in Pro · I have a key