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截然不同 (jié rán bù tóng) — (phrase) entirely different, completely distinct

Definition

A written, emphatic idiom for 'completely different' — stronger than plain 不同, with no overlap at all. Common in formal writing and argumentation.

phrase
entirely differentcompletely distinct

Examples

  • 截然不同。
    Zhè liǎng jiā gōng sī de jīng yíng lǐ niàn jié rán bù tóng.
    The business philosophies of these two companies are completely different.
  • 截然不同，。
    Tā men de xìng gé suī rán jié rán bù tóng, dàn hé zuò dé hěn hǎo.
    Although their personalities are entirely different, they cooperate well.
  • 截然不同。
    Xiàn dài jiàn zhù hé chuán tǒng jiàn zhù de shè jì lǐ niàn jié rán bù tóng.
    The design concepts of modern and traditional architecture are completely different.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

截然abruptly
截jiécut off然ránstate
后缀Suffix
不同not the same
不bùnot同tóngsame
偏正Modifier + head

截 supplies the cut-off image, while 不 and 同 say not the same, making the difference sharp.

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
戈戈gē
Sound part声符shēngfú
雀
雀què截jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

截 combines 戈 and 雀, with 雀 supplying the sound.

Open 截 →

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
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
肰
肰rán然rán
Same sound today

然 is made from 肰, which gives the sound, and 火, which shows fire, matching the old sense 'to burn'.

Open 然 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Idioms & Set Phrases

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