idiom
不求有功，但求无过
bù qiú yǒu gōng , dàn qiú wú guò
lit. not aiming to achieve the best possible result, but rather trying to avoid making mistakes (idiom); fig. to take a risk-averse approach
Keep going
Related words
HSK levels
不求有功，但求无过 is not on the HSK 2.0 lists or the new exam syllabus.
Study this word
Keep 不求有功，但求无过 for good.
HSK Lord shows you this card again right before you would forget it, so each review is short and the word stays with you.
Add to my deck, free
10 new cards a day on the free plan, no credit card.
Frequently Asked Questions
不求有功，但求无过 (bù qiú yǒu gōng , dàn qiú wú guò) means "lit. not aiming to achieve the best possible result, but rather trying to avoid making mistakes (idiom); fig. to take a risk-averse approach" in Chinese.
不求有功，但求无过 is pronounced "bù qiú yǒu gōng , dàn qiú wú guò" in Mandarin Chinese. It is made up of 9 syllables.
不求有功，但求无过 is not part of the HSK vocabulary lists. It may be a specialized or advanced word.
不求有功，但求无过 is made up of the characters 不, 求, 有, 功, ，, 但, 求, 无, 过. Each character has its own meaning and can appear in other words.
You can practice writing 不求有功，但求无过 using our stroke order tool.
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.