能屈能伸 can bend or unbend -- can take temporary setbacks; able to bow and rise at will; able to stoop or stand erect; adaptable to circumstances; can either stoop or stand; knowing when to yield and when not; submit or assert oneself as the occasion requires; taking the rough with the smooth 大丈夫能屈能伸。 a man among men is he who knows when to eat humble pie and when to hold his head high