迥然不同

jiǒngránbùtóng

idiom #34,512

Meanings

1 utterly different
2 poles apart
3 completely distinct

Characters

far apart; distant

(adverbial suffix)

Examples

两兄弟的性格迥然不同。

Liǎng xiōngdì de xìnggé jiǒngránbùtóng.

The two brothers' personalities are poles apart.

南北饮食习惯迥然不同。

Nán běi yǐnshí xíguàn jiǒngránbùtóng.

The eating habits of north and south are utterly different.

他今天的态度和昨天迥然不同。

Tā jīntiān de tàidù hé zuótiān jiǒngránbùtóng.

His attitude today is completely different from yesterday's.

Tips

history

From Zhang Jie's Song-dynasty 《岁寒堂诗话》: "文章古今迥然不同" — ancient and modern writing are worlds apart. 迥 originally means "far, distant," so the phrase literally says "far apart in kind."

usage

Stronger than 不一样 or 不同. Use when the contrast is genuinely stark. Common collocation: A 与 B 迥然不同 / A 和 B 迥然不同.

Stroke Order

迥 jiǒng

然 rán

不 bù

同 tóng