格格不入 (gé gé-bú rù) — incompatible, out of place (of a person, style,… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

An idiom for things that clash — one thing simply cannot fit into another. Often describes a person, style, or value system that feels out of place in its surroundings.

phrase

incompatibleout of place (of a person, style, or idea with its surroundings)

Examples

，格格不入。
Zài zhè ge quān zi lǐ, wǒ jué de zì jǐ gé gé-bú rù.
In this circle, I feel out of place.
格格不入。
Tā men de jià zhí guān hé wǒ men de gé gé-bú rù.
Their values are incompatible with ours.
格格不入。
Tā de gōng zuò fāng shì yǔ gōng sī de wén huà gé gé-bú rù.
His working style is incompatible with the company culture.

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.

木各格

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

各

各gè格gé

Same sound today

格 is built from 木 (wood) on the left and 各 on the right, which gives the sound.

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

木各格

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

各

各gè格gé

Same sound today

格 is built from 木 (wood) on the left and 各 on the right, which gives the sound.

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.

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

入 is drawn as an arrowhead, indicating 'to enter'.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Idioms & Set Phrases

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