📖 Meaning
Completely different; differing vastly in nature, appearance, or quality. The term emphasizes a stark, obvious contrast between two things that are far apart in some respect.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Song dynasty scholar Zhang Jie's work 'Suihan Tang Shi Hua' (岁寒堂诗话), where he discussed how ancient and contemporary writing styles are vastly different. He referenced Zhong Rong's 'Shipin' (诗品), which ranked classical poetry first and Cao Zhi (Zijian) second, affirming that assessment. Over time the expression came to describe any two things that differ markedly from each other.
💡 Example Usage
这对双胞胎虽是同日出生，性格却迥然不同。
Though the twins were born on the same day, their personalities are completely different.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 迥然不同
- Pinyin: jiǒng rán bù tóng
- Literal Translation: distantly, however, not, same
- Category: Variety
- Characters: 4