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鹤立鸡群 (hè lì jī qún) — (idiom) to stand out from the crowd; to be head and shoulders above the rest

Definition

Chengyu: a crane towering above chickens — someone whose talent, looks, or ability clearly surpasses everyone around them. Used to praise a standout, not to describe looking different in a neutral way.

idiom
to stand out from the crowdto be head and shoulders above the rest

Examples

  • 鹤立鸡群，。
    Tā zài tuán duì zhōng hè lì jī qún, néng lì wú rén néng bǐ.
    He stands out in the team, and his ability is unmatched.
  • 鹤立鸡群，。
    Tā de yǎn jì zài nián qīng yǎn yuán zhōng hè lì jī qún, qián tú wú liàng.
    Her acting stands out among young performers, and she has a bright future.
  • 鹤立鸡群，。
    Zhè wèi jiào shòu zài xué shù jiè hè lì jī qún, fā biǎo le xǔ duō zhòng yào lùn wén.
    This professor stands out in the academic world, having published many important papers.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鶴; 鹤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鳥鳥niǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
寉
寉hè鶴hè
Same sound today

The traditional form 鶴 has 鳥, a bird, for the meaning and 寉 for the sound; the simplified 鹤 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 鹤 →

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

立 pictures a person standing on the ground.

Open 立 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 雞; 鸡 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuīshort-tailed bird
Sound part声符shēngfú
奚
奚xī雞jī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 雞 pairs 奚, which gives the sound, with 隹, a short-tailed bird. The simplified 鸡 is a later shorthand, and its right side is not the historical 奚.

Open 鸡 →

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
羊羊yáng
Sound part声符shēngfú
君
君jūn群
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

群 pairs 羊, a sheep, to point to a herd or group, with 君 giving the sound.

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

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