两码事 (liǎng mǎ shì) — two entirely different things; two separate matters
Definition
Used to emphasize that two things are fundamentally different and shouldn't be confused — stronger than 不一样, which is just 'not the same'. Pairs with 是…，不是一回事.
noun
two entirely different thingstwo separate matters
Examples
- 两码事，。Gōng zuò hé shēng huó shì liǎng mǎ shì, bù néng hùn wéi yì tán.Work and life are two entirely different things — they can't be lumped together.
- 两码事，。Pī píng hé wǔ rǔ wán quán shì liǎng mǎ shì, nǐ yào fēn qīng chǔ.Criticism and insult are two completely different things — you need to distinguish them.
- ，两码事。Tā yǐ wéi wǒ zài shēng qì, qí shí nà shì liǎng mǎ shì.He thought I was angry, but that's a different matter entirely.
Appears in
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