Chinese word

格格不入

Pronunciation

Pinyingé gé bù rù

Meaning

idiomnot fit in

Example

这个新同事和团队的氛围格格不入。zhè ge xīn tóng shì hé tuán duì de fēn wéi gé gé bú rù

This new coworker does not fit in with the team's atmosphere.

More examples

他的做事方式和公司的流程格格不入。tā de zuò shì fāng shì hé gōng sī de liú chéng gé gé bú rù

His way of doing things does not fit in with the company's procedures.

Core concept

An outsider pressed against the boundaries of a setting instead of becoming part of it.

Common phrases

与团队格格不入yǔ tuán duì gé gé bú rù
not fit in with the team
与大家格格不入yǔ dà jiā gé gé bú rù
not fit in with everyone

Similar words

不伦不类bù lún bú lèi: Seeming neither one clear type nor another because its form, style, or behavior feels mismatched.

Definition in Chinese

用来形容某人或某物与周围的环境、规则或群体不相符合，难以融入或显得突兀。yòng lái xíng róng mǒu rén huò mǒu wù yǔ zhōu wéi de huán jìng guī zé huò qún tǐ bù xiāng fú hé nán yǐ róng rù huò xiǎn de tū wù

Word origin

The idiom combines 格格 (gé gé, "at odds or blocked") and 不入 (bù rù, "not enter"), so 格格不入 (gégébùrù, "not fit in") pictures a mismatch that cannot pass into the surrounding arrangement.

Usage tips

It can describe ideas, styles, behavior, or objects as well as people, making it useful for discussing a poor match without claiming that either side is wrong.

Other meanings

be incompatible withidiom

Opposites

融为一体róng wéi yì tǐblend into oneidiom