一分为二

一分為二

yīfēn-wéi'èr

idiom

Meanings

1 to split one into two
2 to see both sides of something
3 a dialectical view recognising two aspects

Characters

Examples

HSK 3

他的做法有优点也有缺点，要一分为二地评价。

Tā de zuòfǎ yǒu yōudiǎn yě yǒu quēdiǎn, yào yīfēnwéi'èr de píngjià.

His approach has merits and flaws - it should be judged in a balanced, two-sided way.

HSK 5

看待任何问题都要一分为二。

Kàndài rènhé wèntí dōu yào yīfēnwéi'èr.

Any issue should be examined from both sides.

Tips

usage

Used both literally (to divide something in two) and - more commonly today - figuratively as a call for balanced, dialectical analysis. The figurative sense became standard through 20th-century political rhetoric.

Stroke Order

一 yī

分 fēn

为 wéi

二 èr