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不折不扣 (bù zhé-bú kòu) — (phrase) a hundred percent; out-and-out (used before nouns to emphasize authenticity); (phrase) to the letter; exactly (used before verbs to emphasize strict adherence)

Definition

A set phrase meaning 'a hundred percent, out-and-out' — emphasizes authenticity before nouns (like 十足的胜利). Stronger and more vivid than 十足, and more emphatic than 就是 for stressing that something is genuine.

phrase
a hundred percentout-and-out (used before nouns to emphasize authenticity)to the letterexactly (used before verbs to emphasize strict adherence)

Examples

  • 不折不扣。
    Tā shì yí wèi bù zhé-bú kòu de xué zhě.
    He is a true scholar.
  • 不折不扣。
    Tā bù zhé-bú kòu dì zhí xíng le jì huà.
    He executed the plan to the letter.
  • 不折不扣。
    Zhè shì yí cì bù zhé-bú kòu de shèng lì.
    This is a complete victory.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 屮𣏄𣏄a tree {{zh-m|*木}} cut in half
  • 斤斤jīnaxe

The shape originally showed an axe (斤) cutting a tree in half; in 折 the left part is now written as a hand.

Open 折 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
口
口kǒu扣kòu
Same sound today

扣 puts 手 (hand) beside 口 (mouth); 口 gives the sound, while 手 shows it is about a hand action.

Open 扣 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Idioms & Set PhrasesGood & Bad

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