相形见绌 (xiāng xíng jiàn chù) — to pale by comparison; to be overshadowed

Definition

Literary idiom meaning 'to pale by comparison' — used in written Chinese when one thing is shown to be far inferior next to a stronger counterpart.

idiom
to pale by comparisonto be overshadowed

Examples

  • ，相形见绌。
    Tā de zuò pǐn yǔ dà shī xiāng bǐ, zhēn shì xiāng xíng jiàn chù.
    His work really pales in comparison with the master's.
  • ，相形见绌。
    Zài zhè yàng háo huá de jiǔ diàn miàn qián, wǒ men zhù de xiǎo lǚ guǎn jiù xiāng xíng jiàn chù le.
    In the face of such a luxurious hotel, the small inn we stayed at pales by comparison.
  • ，相形见绌。
    Suī rán tā yě hěn yōu xiù, dàn hé jiě jie yì bǐ jiù xiāng xíng jiàn chù le.
    Although she is also excellent, she pales in comparison with her older sister.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

In 相, 目 is an eye and 木 is a tree, showing an eye looking at a tree; this originally meant “to observe.”

Open 相 →

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
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
井
井jǐng形xíng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

形 is made from 彡 and 井, with 井 providing the sound.

Open 形 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 見; 见 is its simplified writing.

  • 目目mùeye
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The traditional form 見 pairs 目 (eye) with 卩 (kneeling person), showing a kneeling figure with a large eye for a head. The simplified 见 is a later shorthand.

Open 见 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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