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非凡 (fēi fán) — extraordinary; out of the ordinary

Definition

非凡 means 'extraordinary' — a formal, evaluative word for people or achievements that stand out, more literary than 了不起 and stronger than 出色. Often pairs with nouns like 能力 or 成就.

adjective
extraordinaryout of the ordinary

Examples

  • 非凡。
    Tā de néng lì zhēn shì fēi fán.
    His ability is truly extraordinary.
  • 非凡。
    Zhè zuò chéng shì de yè jǐng fēi fán měi lì.
    The night view of this city is extraordinarily beautiful.
  • 非凡。
    Tā shì yí wèi fēi fán de lǐng xiù.
    She is an extraordinary leader.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

非fēinot
凡fánordinary

非 gives a negative sense to 凡, yielding not ordinary.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 非 is drawn from two wings facing opposite directions. It later came to be used for going against or not being.

Open 非 →

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

Open 凡 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Good & Bad

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