今非昔比

jīnfēi-xībǐ
idiom #27,381

Meanings

  1. 1 things are very different now
  2. 2 times have changed
  3. 3 the present cannot compare to the past

Examples

Jīngguò jǐ nián de fāzhǎn, zhège xiǎozhèn jīnfēixībǐ.
After years of development, this small town is nothing like it used to be.
Zìcóng chū leshì, tā jīnfēixībǐ, zhěnggè rén dōu biàn le.
Since the incident, he has changed completely — he's not the same person he was.

Tips

usage
今非昔比 can be used positively (impressive improvement) or neutrally/negatively (unrecognizable change). Context determines the tone. The literal meaning is: 'today () is not () like the past (), [there is no] comparison ().'

Stroke Order

jīn
fēi