一长一短

• Pinyin: yī cháng yī duǎn
• Hanzi breakdown: 一 = one; 长 = pictograph of a person with long hair — long; 一 = one; 短 = 矢 + 豆 (arrow + vessel — measuring a short distance)

Meaning

Of uneven or inconsistent length; (figuratively) gossiping about or criticising someone's faults and failings; talking about someone behind their back.

Literally 'one long, one short.' Figuratively refers to making critical or gossipy remarks about someone — speaking of their shortcomings in their absence. Frequently appears in the pattern 说人一长一短 (gossip about or find fault with someone). Used to caution against idle criticism and two-faced behaviour.

Examples

1. 他背后说人一长一短，当面却一副关心备至的模样，这种两面派作风令人不齿。 He talks about people behind their backs, but to their face he puts on an act of deep concern—this kind of two-faced behavior is contemptible.
2. 邻居们常常聚在院子里议论一长一短，谁家添了新车，谁家孩子成绩不理想，都成了话题。 Neighbors often gather in the courtyard to gossip about others—who bought a new car, whose kid’s grades aren’t good—everything becomes a topic.
3. 管理者若只知在员工面前说一长一短，而不提供具体改进建议，只会打击士气而毫无益处。 If managers only nitpick in front of employees and never offer concrete ways to improve, it will only crush morale and do no good at all.

Usage Guide

Context: social, interpersonal, criticism, daily life

Tone: critical

Do Say

• 在职场背后一长一短会伤害团队凝聚力，聪明的员工会把对同事表现的意见直接、建设性地告诉主管。(In the workplace, gossiping behind others' backs hurts team cohesion; smart employees give their views on colleagues' performance directly and constructively to a supervisor.)
• 这对老夫妻搬来后邻里本来和睦，但有人在聚会上说一长一短，议论各家是非，渐渐让气氛变得微妙。(After the elderly couple moved in, the neighbors were originally harmonious, but some people began to gossip at gatherings and discuss everyone's faults, gradually making the atmosphere awkward.)

Don't Say

• 这批木料一长一短，无法使用 — when describing physically unequal lengths in formal contexts, prefer 长短不一 (varying in length); 一长一短 in modern usage almost always carries the figurative sense of gossiping or criticising, making the literal use ambiguous

Origin & History

一 (one) + 长 (long) + 一 (one) + 短 (short) — an antithetical compound describing inconsistency in length; figuratively extended to inconsistency and fault-finding in speech about others

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal