喧宾夺主 (xuān bīn duó zhǔ) — to steal the show; to let the secondary overshadow the primary; (of a detail, decoration, etc.) to be so prominent that it overwhelms the main focus

Definition

A chéngyǔ for when the supporting or decorative part ("the guest") is so loud it drowns out the main point ("the host") — used to warn that details, background, or a minor element is overwhelming the focus.

idiom
to steal the showto let the secondary overshadow the primary(of a detail, decoration, etc.) to be so prominent that it overwhelms the main focus

Examples

  • ，喧宾夺主。
    Zhè ge bào gào de zhǔ tí bù tū chū, cì yào shù jù wán quán xuān bīn duó zhǔ le.
    The report's theme isn't prominent — the secondary data completely stole the show.
  • ，喧宾夺主。
    Shè jì guǎng gào shí yào zhù yì, bù néng ràng bèi jǐng tú àn xuān bīn duó zhǔ.
    When designing an ad, be careful not to let the background pattern overshadow the main message.
  • ，喧宾夺主。
    Tā men zài huì shàng tǎo lùn xì jié tài duō, yǒu xuān bīn duó zhǔ zhī xián.
    They spent too much time on details in the meeting, which risked letting the trivial outweigh the important.

Origin

Characters in this word

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
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
宣
宣xuān喧xuān
Same sound today

喧 is made of 口 (mouth) and 宣, which is read xuān and gives the character its sound.

Open 喧 →

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 賓; 宾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèi
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡧍
𡧍𡧍賓bīn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 賓 is built from 𡧍 and 貝: 𡧍 gives the sound, and 貝 relates to the meaning. The simplified 宾 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 宾 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 奪; 夺 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 奪 includes 又 (a hand), 雀 (a bird), and 衣 (clothing), showing a hand seizing a bird from someone; the simplified 夺 is a later abbreviation.

Open 夺 →

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

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

Open 主 →

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