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不同凡响 (bù tóng fán xiǎng) — (idiom) outstanding, exceptional, remarkable

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning 'outstanding, exceptional' — used to praise works, performances, or talent that rise well above the ordinary. Carries a formal, written register, stronger than everyday 非同一般.

idiom
outstandingexceptionalremarkable

Examples

  • 不同凡响，。
    Tā de yǎn jiǎng zhēn shì bù tóng fán xiǎng, yíng dé le quán chǎng de zhǎng shēng.
    His speech was truly outstanding and won applause from the whole audience.
  • 不同凡响，。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō de gòu sī bù tóng fán xiǎng, ràng rén dú hòu huí wèi wú qióng.
    The conception of this novel is exceptional, leaving readers with endless afterthoughts.
  • 不同凡响，。
    Zhè wèi nián qīng huà jiā de zuò pǐn bù tóng fán xiǎng, yǐ jīng yǐn qǐ le yì shù jiè de guān zhù.
    The works of this young painter are remarkable and have already attracted attention from the art world.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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

同 originally drew a pipe. It is the old form of 筒.

Open 同 →

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

Open 凡 →

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 響; 响 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
音音yīnsound
Sound part声符shēngfú
鄉
鄉xiāng響xiǎng
Same sound today

The traditional form 響 pairs 音, meaning sound, with 鄉 to give its pronunciation. The simplified 响 is a later shorthand, so its visible parts are not the historical parts.

Open 响 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesGood & Bad

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