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出类拔萃 (chū lèi bá cuì) — to stand out from the crowd; outstanding

Definition

idiom
to stand out from the crowdoutstanding

Examples

  • 出类拔萃，。
    Tā zài tuán duì zhōng chū lèi bá cuì, néng lì fēi cháng qiáng.
    He stands out in the team and is very capable.
  • 出类拔萃，。
    Tā de chéng jì chū lèi bá cuì, bèi míng xiào lù qǔ le.
    Her grades were outstanding, and she was admitted to a prestigious school.
  • 出类拔萃，。
    Zhè wèi yùn dòng yuán chū lèi bá cuì, huò dé le jīn pái.
    This athlete stands out and won a gold medal.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

出类exceed the category
出chūexceed类lèicategory
动宾Verb + object
拔萃lift out the elite
拔bálift萃cuìelite
动宾Verb + object

出 exceed, 类 category, 拔 lift, 萃 elite combine to mean rise above ordinary groups.

Characters in this word

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

出 combines 止 (foot) and 凵 (cave) to show a foot stepping out of a cave.

Open 出 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 類; 类 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犬犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
頪
頪lèi類lèi
Same sound today

The traditional form 類 pairs 犬, which relates to the meaning, with 頪, which gives the sound. The simplified 类 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 类 →

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
犮
犮bá拔bá
Same sound today

In 拔, the left side 扌 is a hand and the right side 犮 gives the sound; the shape pictures a hand pulling.

Open 拔 →

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
卒
卒zú萃cuì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

萃 puts 艹 (grass) above 卒; the 卒 part shows how the character is pronounced.

Open 萃 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesGood & Bad

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