相去甚远 (xiāng qù shèn yuǎn) — to be far apart; to differ greatly; to have a wide gap (between two things)

Definition

A formal/written phrase meaning two things differ greatly — a big gap in quality, level, or fact. Use it in essays or reports, not casual speech; the subject is usually two things being compared, not people.

verb
to be far apartto differ greatlyto have a wide gap (between two things)

Examples

  • 相去甚远。
    Tā de shuō fǎ yǔ shì shí xiāng qù shèn yuǎn.
    His statement is far from the facts.
  • 相去甚远。
    Liǎng guó de jīng jì fā zhǎn shuǐ píng xiāng qù shèn yuǎn.
    The economic development levels of the two countries are far apart.
  • 相去甚远。
    Zhè ge shí yàn de jié guǒ yǔ yù qī xiāng qù shèn yuǎn.
    The result of this experiment is far from what was expected.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

In 相, 目 is an eye and 木 is a tree, showing an eye looking at a tree; this originally meant “to observe.”

Open 相 →

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

去 pairs 大, a man, with 口, a mouth or object. The evidence reads this as a man leaving a place, a man opening his mouth, or a cover over an object.

Open 去 →

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

甚 combines 甘 and 匕. The evidence gives no meaning for either part.

Open 甚 →

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
元
元yuán远yuǎn
Same sound today

远 combines 辶, meaning walk, with 元, used for its sound.

Open 远 →

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