📖 Meaning
The two are not far apart from each other; the difference between them is negligible or insignificant. Used to express that two things are nearly the same in degree, quality, or distance.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Northern Song Dynasty scholar Su Xun (苏洵) in his essay 'On the Land System' (田制), part of his 'Jiayou Collection' (嘉祐集). He argued that the tax burden under the Song Dynasty was essentially no different from that of the ancient Zhou Dynasty. The phrase was later echoed by his son, the renowned poet and statesman Su Shi (苏轼), who used it in a memorial to the emperor, criticizing two flawed policies as being equally bad.
💡 Example Usage
这两款手机的性能相去无几，价格却差了一倍。
The performance of these two phones is not much different, yet their prices differ by double.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 相去无几
- Pinyin: xiāng qù wú jǐ
- Literal Translation: each other, be apart, not, much
- Category: Distance
- Characters: 4