不可同日而语

不可同日而語
bùkětóngrì'éryǔ
idiom #37,868

Meanings

  1. 1 cannot be mentioned in the same breath
  2. 2 not to be compared
  3. 3 incomparable

Examples

Jīntiān de Zhōngguó hé sānshí nián qián de Zhōngguó bùkětóngrì'éryǔ.
China today and China thirty years ago cannot be mentioned in the same breath.
Tā de shuǐpíng hé zhuānyè xuǎnshǒu bùkětóngrì'éryǔ.
His level is in no way comparable to that of a professional player.

Tips

history
From 《·》: '而言?' Su Qin argues to King Wuling of Zhao that conquering others and being conquered are so different they cannot even be discussed on the same day.
usage
Highlights a vast gap in quality, level, or era. Typical structure: A B + 不可. A is usually the stronger / later / better one. Use the apostrophe in pinyin after before the e-initial : bùkětóngrì'éryǔ.

Stroke Order

tóng
ér