Meaning:

“短” means “short,” and “板” means “wooden plank.” This term comes from a theory about the barrel, which is a hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of wooden staves bound by wooden or metal hoops. Just as the capacity of a barrel with staves of unequal length is limited by the shortest stave, a team or a person’s performance is limited by their weak points. Therefore, Chinese people have often used the term to refer to “weak points.” People have also come to like the term “补齐短板,” which means “improve weak points.”

Example:

A: 小李能力很强，为什么公司这次没有提拔他？

Xiǎolǐ nénglì hěn qiáng，wéishénme gōngsī zhècì méiyǒu tíbá tā？

Xiaoli is very capable. Why has the company overlooked him in this round of promotion?

B: 他有个明显的短板，就是不愿意接受批评和不同意见。

Tā yǒu gè míngxiǎn de duǎnbǎn，jiùshì bú yuànyì jiēshòu pīpíng hé bútóng yìjiàn。

He has an obvious weak point — he never listens to criticism and other people’s opinions.