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亚于 (yà yú) — to be inferior to, to be second to; (in negative, 不亚于) to be as good as, to be no less than

Definition

Written/formal verb meaning 'to be inferior to' — almost always used in its negative form 不亚于 ('no less than / as good as'), which is the emphatic way to say something matches or surpasses a high standard.

verb
to be inferior toto be second to(in negative, 不亚于) to be as good asto be no less than

Examples

  • 。
    Zhè zuò xīn jiàn zhù de měi guān chéng dù bú yà yú rèn hé guó jì dì biāo.
    The aesthetic level of this new building is as good as any international landmark.
  • 。
    Tā de kǎo shì chéng jì bú yà yú bān lǐ zuì yōu xiù de tóng xué.
    His exam scores are no less than the best students in the class.
  • 。
    Zhè wèi nián qīng xuǎn shǒu de qián lì bú yà yú nà xiē jīng yàn fēng fù de lǎo jiàng.
    The potential of this young athlete is no less than that of experienced veterans.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

亚yàsecond
于yúto

亚 means second or inferior, and 于 means to, so 亚于 means to be inferior to something.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 亞; 亚 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 亞 likely shows an overhead view of a construction, perhaps a 亞-shaped tomb. Its later simplified form 亚 is just a shorthand.

Open 亚 →

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

  • 一一yīflat stream of air
  • 丂丂kǎoto exhale

The old shape of 于 may have pictured an ancient wind instrument. Another explanation reads 一 as a flat stream of air and 丂 as an exhaling mark.

Open 于 →
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