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今非昔比 (jīn fēi xī bǐ) — the present is incomparable to the past; times have changed greatly

Definition

Idiom meaning 'today is no longer like yesterday' — emphasizes that something (a place, standard, or situation) has changed dramatically from the past.

idiom
the present is incomparable to the pasttimes have changed greatly

Examples

  • 今非昔比。
    Zhè ge chéng shì de fā zhǎn zhēn shì jīn fēi xī bǐ.
    The development of this city is truly beyond compare with the past.
  • 今非昔比。
    Rú jīn wǒ men de shēng huó shuǐ píng yǔ shí nián qián jīn fēi xī bǐ.
    Now our living standard is completely different from ten years ago.
  • ，今非昔比。
    Hé guò qù xiāng bǐ, xiàn zài de jiào yù tiáo jiàn jīn fēi xī bǐ.
    Compared with the past, today's educational conditions are worlds apart.

Origin

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

One explanation sees the shape as an upside-down mouth with a line below it, giving the idea of not speaking.

Open 今 →

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

The shape of 非 is drawn from two wings facing opposite directions. It later came to be used for going against or not being.

Open 非 →

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
日日rìsun; day
Sound part声符shēngfú
龷
龷龷昔xī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The lower 日 is a sun/day, pointing to past days; the upper 龷 gives the sound and was first drawn as a wrinkled or intertwined texture.

Open 昔 →

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

  • 匕匕bǐ
  • 匕匕bǐ

比 is two 匕 placed side by side. Chu Wan-li treats both as sound parts, while an old reading takes the side-by-side arrangement as putting things next to each other.

Open 比 →
Appears in
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