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评估利弊
pínggū lì bì
weigh the pros and cons
在做出决定前，我们需要评估利弊。
Before making a decision, we need to weigh the pros and cons.
formal
To assess the advantages and disadvantages of a decision or action.
投资前必须评估利弊，避免盲目跟风。
You must weigh the pros and cons before investing to avoid blindly following trends.
选择工作时，他仔细评估了利弊，最终决定留在原公司。
When choosing a job, he carefully weighed the pros and cons and ultimately decided to stay at his current company.
Commonly used in decision-making contexts, business, and personal choices.
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Common Structure
The phrase often appears in the structure: '[Subject] + 评估 + 利弊 + [action]', e.g., '我们评估利弊后决定投资。' (We weighed the pros and cons and then decided to invest.)
Gold Rule
Formal vs. Informal
Use '评估利弊' in formal contexts (e.g., business, academia) and '权衡利弊' in both formal and informal settings. '权衡' implies a more subjective judgment.
Word Origin
The phrase combines '评估' (pínggū, to evaluate) and '利弊' (lìbì, pros and cons). '利' means advantage/profit, and '弊' means disadvantage/harm. The structure follows Chinese verb-object collocation patterns.
Usage Notes
Used in both formal and informal contexts. Often followed by '后' (after) to indicate the action taken post-assessment, e.g., '评估利弊后决定'.
Word Breakdown
评估
to evaluate/assess
verb利弊
pros and cons (利 = advantages, 弊 = disadvantages)
noun phrase汉英词典