卓越 (zhuó yuè) — outstanding, excellent, distinguished

Definition

卓越 is a formal, written word for 'outstanding, distinguished', stronger than 优秀 and used for top-level achievement. 杰出 is similar but emphasizes rare talent; 优越 focuses on advantageous conditions rather than merit.

adjective

outstandingexcellentdistinguished

Examples

卓越。
Tā zài gōng zuò zhōng qǔ dé le zhuó yuè de chéng jì.
He achieved outstanding results at work.
卓越。
Zhè jiā gōng sī de chǎn pǐn yǐ zhuó yuè pǐn zhì ér wén míng.
This company's products are famous for their excellent quality.
卓越。
Tā de yǎn jiǎng gěi guān zhòng liú xià le zhuó yuè de yìn xiàng.
His speech left an outstanding impression on the audience.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

卓zhuóoutstanding

越yuèsurpassing

卓 means outstanding and 越 means surpassing; together they describe excellence that goes beyond the ordinary.

Characters in this word

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

The old shape has been explained as a child with a flag-like mark above, or as a man standing high on an altar, giving the sense of tall and outstanding.

Open 卓 →

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

走戉越

Meaning part形符xíngfú

走走zǒuto walk or run

Sound part声符shēngfú

戉

戉yuè越yuè

Same sound today

越 is built from 走 (to walk or run) and 戉 (which supplies the sound); the 走 part shows the idea of going over or crossing.

Open 越 →

Appears in