美中不足 měi zhōng bù zú — everything is fine except for one small defect (idiom); the fly in the ointment

Meanings

1. 1

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

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

   expression

Character breakdown

• 中

  zhōng (first tone, high and level) zhòng (fourth tone, falling)

  middle, centre; in, among, within; China (in 中国); (zhòng) to hit the mark, to be hit by

  4 strokes⿻口丨Radical 丨
• 不

  bù (fourth tone, falling)

  not, no — the general negative, placed before verbs and adjectives

  4 strokesRadical 一

Words containing 中

• 中zhōng (first tone, high and level)within; among; in
• 中国/中國Zhōngguó (first tone, high and level)China
• 其中qí (second tone, rising) zhōng (first tone, high and level)among
• 中心zhōng (first tone, high and level) xīn (first tone, high and level)center
• 中间/中間zhōngjiān (first tone, high and level)the middle, in between
• 中文Zhōngwén (first tone, high and level)Chinese (the language, especially written)
• 集中jí (second tone, rising) zhōng (first tone, high and level)to concentrate
• 之中zhī (first tone, high and level) zhōng (first tone, high and level)inside
• 中午zhōngwǔ (first tone, high and level)midday, noon
• 中央zhōng (first tone, high and level) yāng (first tone, high and level)central
• 心中xīn (first tone, high and level) zhōng (first tone, high and level)central point
• 高中gāo (first tone, high and level) zhōng (first tone, high and level)senior high school
• 当中/當中dāng (first tone, high and level) zhōng (first tone, high and level)among
• 空中kōng (first tone, high and level) zhōng (first tone, high and level)in the sky
• 中学/中學zhōng (first tone, high and level) xué (second tone, rising)middle school
• 中毒zhòng (fourth tone, falling) dú (second tone, rising)to be poisoned
• 从中/從中cóng (second tone, rising) zhōng (first tone, high and level)from within
• 途中tú (second tone, rising) zhōng (first tone, high and level)en route

Words containing 不

• 不bù (fourth tone, falling)not (negates verbs, adjectives and modal verbs)
• 不要bù (fourth tone, falling) yào (fourth tone, falling)don't!
• 不错/不錯bù (fourth tone, falling) cuò (fourth tone, falling)correct
• 不同bù (fourth tone, falling) tóng (second tone, rising)different
• 不断/不斷búduàn (second tone, rising)continuously, unceasingly
• 不过/不過búguò (second tone, rising)but, however (a lighter contrast than 但是)
• 不如bùrú (fourth tone, falling)to be not as good as; had better
• 不再bù (fourth tone, falling) zài (fourth tone, falling)no more
• 不用bù (fourth tone, falling) yòng (fourth tone, falling)need not
• 不少bù (fourth tone, falling) shǎo (third tone, dipping)many
• 不但búdàn (second tone, rising)not only … (but also)
• 差不多chàbuduō (fourth tone, falling)about the same, close enough, not much different
• 不然bùrán (fourth tone, falling)otherwise, or else
• 不管bùguǎn (fourth tone, falling)no matter (what/how…), regardless of
• 不足bùzú (fourth tone, falling)insufficient, inadequate; a shortcoming
• 不够/不夠bù (fourth tone, falling) gòu (fourth tone, falling)not enough
• 不行bù (fourth tone, falling) xíng (second tone, rising)won't do
• 不仅/不僅bù (fourth tone, falling) jǐn (third tone, dipping)not only (this one)