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宁缺毋滥

寧缺毋濫
nìngquē-wúlàn
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 better to have nothing than something of poor quality
  2. 2 quality over quantity
  3. 3 rather go without than settle for less

Examples

招聘员工要宁缺毋滥。
Zhāopìn yuángōng yào nìngquēwúlàn.
When hiring, better leave a spot empty than fill it with the wrong person.
挑朋友我一向宁缺毋滥。
Tiāo péngyǒu wǒ yīxiàng nìngquēwúlàn.
I've always been picky about friends — rather few than bad ones.

Tips

history
Based on 《左传·襄公二十六年》: 若不幸而过，宁僭不滥 — 'if you must err, better err on the side of strictness than laxity'.
usage
Common in hiring, dating, publishing, and curation contexts. Often paired with 不将就 (bù jiāngjiu, 'won't settle').

Stroke Order

宁 níng
缺 quē
毋 wú
滥 làn