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To carefully evaluate all advantages (利), disadvantages (弊), gains (得), and losses (失) before making a decision.
投资新项目前必须全面考虑利弊得失，不能只看眼前利益。
You must consider all pros and cons before investing in a new project; don't just look at short-term gains.
选择职业时，全面考虑利弊得失很重要，包括薪资、工作环境和发展前景。
When choosing a career, it's important to consider all pros and cons, including salary, work environment, and development prospects.
Often used in business, personal decision-making, or strategic planning contexts. The phrase emphasizes a balanced assessment rather than favoring one side.
Avoid translating this phrase word-for-word as 'comprehensively consider gains and losses.' The Chinese phrase emphasizes a balanced evaluation of both positive and negative aspects (利弊) and gains and losses (得失), not just losses.
Use this phrase when discussing decisions that require careful analysis of multiple factors. It is particularly useful in business, academic, or personal contexts where outcomes are uncertain.
The phrase combines four key Chinese characters: 利 (advantage/profit), 弊 (disadvantage/harm), 得 (gain), and 失 (loss). The structure reflects traditional Chinese philosophical emphasis on balance and harmony (e.g., 阴阳 theory). The phrase itself is a modern compound formed to encapsulate the concept of holistic evaluation.
This phrase is commonly used in both spoken and written Chinese, particularly in formal or analytical contexts. It is not an idiom but a straightforward compound phrase. The order of characters (利弊得失) follows a logical sequence: first listing positive/negative outcomes (利弊), then gains/losses (得失).