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相形见绌

相形見絀
xiāngxíngjiànchù
idiom #32,908

Meanings

  1. 1 to pale by comparison
  2. 2 to be eclipsed when set side by side
  3. 3 to look inadequate next to something better

Examples

和他的画相比，我的作品相形见绌。
Hé tā de huà xiāngbǐ, wǒ de zuòpǐn xiāngxíngjiànchù.
Next to his paintings, my work pales by comparison.
新款手机一出，旧型号立刻相形见绌。
Xīnkuǎn shǒujī yī chū, jiù xínghào lìkè xiāngxíngjiànchù.
The moment the new phone came out, the older model looked outclassed.
在她的演讲面前，其他选手都相形见绌。
Zài tā de yǎnjiǎng miànqián, qítā xuǎnshǒu dōu xiāngxíngjiànchù.
Up against her speech, all the other contestants paled in comparison.

Tips

mistakes
绌 (chù) means 'inadequate' — don't confuse with 拙 (zhuō, 'clumsy') or 屈 (qū, 'to bend'). Different characters, different idioms.
history
From 吴趼人's late-Qing novel 《二十年目睹之怪现状》, comparing officials' rank insignia: a crystal cap looks shabby beside a red one — 相形见绌.

Stroke Order

相 xiāng
形 xíng
见 jiàn
绌 chù