📖 Meaning
This idiom describes someone or something that transcends the ordinary secular world and stands above common conventions. It conveys a quality of being extraordinary and incomparable, elevated beyond worldly concerns.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the 'Xuanhe Calligraphy Treatise' (宣和书谱), a Song Dynasty catalog of calligraphy commissioned under Emperor Huizong. The original passage discusses a calligrapher's poem 'Sending Off a Senior Scholar,' describing how when one's inspiration flows freely through the brush, the work naturally attains an air that surpasses the worldly and transcends convention. Over time, the expression broadened to praise individuals whose talents, character, or achievements exceed ordinary worldly standards.
💡 Example Usage
他的书法作品有超世绝俗之韵，令人叹为观止。
His calligraphy possesses an otherworldly elegance that transcends all convention, leaving viewers in awe.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 超世绝俗
- Pinyin: chāo shì jué sú
- Literal Translation: surpass, the world, sever, convention
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4