兼而有之

jiān'éryǒuzhī

idiom #37,748

Meanings

1 to have both at once
2 to possess both qualities simultaneously

Characters

it (classical pronoun)

Examples

他聪明又勤奋，两种优点兼而有之。

Tā cōngming yòu qínfèn, liǎng zhǒng yōudiǎn jiān ér yǒu zhī.

He's both smart and diligent — he has both qualities.

这道菜酸甜兼而有之。

Zhè dào cài suān tián jiān ér yǒu zhī.

This dish is both sour and sweet at the same time.

Tips

history

From 《墨子·法仪》: 兼而有之，兼而食之 ('embraces them all, feeds them all'), originally describing heaven's universal care. Modern use is narrower: simply combining two qualities or categories.

Stroke Order

兼 jiān

而 ér

有 yǒu

之 zhī