Chinese word

相形见绌

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiāng xíng jiàn chù

Meaning

  • idiompale in comparison

Example

在朋友面前，我的厨艺有点相形见绌。zài péng yǒu miàn qián wǒ de chú yì yóu diǎn xiāng xíng jiàn chù

In front of my friends, my cooking pales a little in comparison.

Illustration for 相形见绌 (pale in comparison)

More examples

和其他选手相比，我的作品在评委面前显得相形见绌。hé qí tā xuán shǒu xiàng bǐ wǒ de zuò pǐn zài píng wěi miàn qián xiǎn de xiāng xíng jiàn chù

Compared with the other contestants, my work pales in comparison in the judges' eyes.

Core concept

Contrast magnifies a difference until one side seems noticeably less impressive.

Common phrases

  • 显得相形见绌xiǎn de xiāng xíng jiàn chù

    seem pale in comparison

  • 在…面前相形见绌zài miàn qián xiāng xíng jiàn chù

    pale in comparison with ___

Similar words

不如bù rú: Fails to match another person or thing in quality, ability, or performance.
比不上bǐ bú shàng: Cannot equal or keep up with another person or thing in a direct comparison.
逊色xùn sè: Appears inferior or less polished beside something stronger.
黯然失色àn rán shī sè: Loses its shine, force, or appeal beside something more impressive.

Definition in Chinese

用于表示在对比时，一方的表现、外表或能力显得不足，给人以不如另一方的印象。yòng yú biǎo shì zài duì bǐ shí yì fāng de biǎo xiàn wài biǎo huò néng lì xiǎn de bù zú gěi rén yǐ bù rú lìng yì fāng de yìn xiàng

Word origin

相 (xiāng, "mutually") and 形 (xíng, "form") set up a comparison, while 见 (jiàn, "show") and 绌 (chù, "deficient") show the shortcoming appearing clearly through that comparison.

Usage tips

  • The expression can describe something that is acceptable by itself but looks less impressive beside a stronger example, so it does not necessarily mean the weaker side is poor.

Other meanings

  • be overshadowedidiom

Opposites

Word lists with this word