远近高低各不同

遠近高低各不同

yuǎn jìn gāo dī gè bù tóng

quotation

Meanings

1 near, far, high, low - each view is different
2 every perspective yields a different picture

Characters

Examples

HSK 6

对同一个问题，远近高低各不同，每个人都有自己的看法。

Duì tóng yī gè wèntí, yuǎn jìn gāo dī gè bù tóng, měi gè rén dōu yǒu zìjǐ de kànfǎ.

On the same issue, every angle gives a different view - everyone has their own perspective.

HSK 7-9

横看成岭侧成峰，远近高低各不同。

Héng kàn chéng lǐng cè chéng fēng, yuǎn jìn gāo dī gè bù tóng.

Seen sideways it becomes a ridge, seen end-on a peak - near, far, high, low, each view is different.

Tips

history

From Su Shi's 《题西林壁》 (Song dynasty), written on the wall of Xilin Temple on Mount Lu: 横看成岭侧成峰，远近高低各不同。不识庐山真面目，只缘身在此山中。 The poem became a paradigmatic Chinese expression of perspectivism - you can't see the whole mountain when you're on it.

usage

Always cited with 横看成岭侧成峰 as the full couplet. The poem's last two lines 不识庐山真面目，只缘身在此山中 are even more famous - the whole quatrain is one continuous argument.

Stroke Order

远 yuǎn

近 jìn

高 gāo

低 dī

各 gè

不 bù

同 tóng