Chinese word

传奇

Pronunciation

Pinyinchuán qí

Meaning

  • adjectivelegendary

Example

他的经历很 传奇。tā de jīng lì hěn chuán qí

His experience is legendary.

Illustration for 传奇 (legendary)

More examples

那位运动员是个传奇人物。nà wèi yùn dòng yuán shì gè chuán qí rén wù

That athlete is a legendary figure.

Core concept

A person, event, or tale so extraordinary that it seems ready to move from real life into lasting story.

Common phrases

  • 传奇人物chuán qí rén wù

    legendary figure

  • 传奇的经历chuán qí de jīng lì

    legendary experience

  • 具有传奇色彩jù yǒu chuán qí sè cǎi

    have a legendary quality

Similar words

不可思议bù kě sī yì: So strange or mysterious that it is hard to understand or believe.
惊人jīng rén: So striking or extreme that it causes great surprise and exceeds expectations.
神奇shén qí: Seeming to have unusual power or magic and difficult to explain by ordinary causes.
离奇lí qí: Bizarre and far outside normal experience, causing surprise.

Definition in Chinese

表示非凡、令人难以置信或像传说一样引人注目的特性，常用来形容人、经历或故事。biǎo shì fēi fán lìng rén nán yǐ zhì xìn huò xiàng chuán shuō yí yàng yǐn rén zhù mù dì tè xìng cháng yòng lái xíng róng rén jīng lì huò gù shì

Word origin

The compound 传 (chuán, "pass on") + 奇 (qí, "strange") presents an unusual tale as something worth passing on, linking the story sense with remarkable people and experiences.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may reserve this idea for famous historical figures, but Chinese also uses the adjective for a real person's striking life story or a remarkable personal experience.

Other meanings

  • legendnoun
  • romancenoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 传奇性chuán qí xìnglegendary qualitynoun
  • 传奇化chuán qí huàmythologizeverb

Word lists with this word