两全其美

Origin and story

An early attestation appears in Chen Tianxiang's Yuan memorial criticizing Lu Shirong. Chen argues that Lu's aggressive revenue plans endanger the people and that giving him unchecked authority could damage both the state and Lu himself. He proposes reassignment and evaluation before any further promotion, describing this as preserving the interests of ruler and minister alike.

This is Chen's proposed solution in a political argument, not proof that everyone accepted or benefited from it. The idiom names the desirable shape of a solution: two parties or two needs are both accommodated. Later fiction and ordinary speech apply it to many more modest arrangements.