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特异 (tè yì) — (of quality) superfine, exceptionally good; distinctive, unique; peculiar, unusual

Definition

Adjective (the POS tag is a data error). 特异 highlights what is exceptionally fine or uniquely unusual — quality on the high end, or behavior/style that stands out as strange.

verb
(of quality) superfineexceptionally gooddistinctiveuniquepeculiarunusual

Examples

  • 特异，。
    Zhè zhǒng chá yè de pǐn zhì fēi cháng tè yì, jià gé yě hěn gāo.
    This tea is of superfine quality, and the price is also high.
  • 特异，。
    Tā de huì huà fēng gé hěn tè yì, yì yǎn jiù néng rèn chū lái.
    His painting style is very distinctive; you can recognize it at a glance.
  • 特异，。
    Tā de xíng wéi yǒu xiē tè yì, dà jiā dōu jué de qí guài.
    His behavior is a bit peculiar, and everyone finds it strange.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

特tèspecial
异yìdifferent

特 (special) and 异 (different) together mean unusual or distinctive.

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
牛牛niúox
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì特tè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape combines 牛 (ox) with 寺, which gives the pronunciation; it originally meant a large bull.

Open 特 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 異; 异 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 異 depicts a person with a mask 田 over the face, so the face looks different. The simplified 异 is a later shorthand.

Open 异 →
Appears in
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