相形见绌

相形見絀

xiāngxíng-jiànchù

idiom #32,908

Meanings

HSK 3

和他的画相比，我的作品相形见绌。

Hé tā de huà xiāngbǐ, wǒ de zuòpǐn xiāngxíng-jiànchù.

Next to his paintings, my work pales by comparison.

HSK 4

在她的演讲面前，其他选手都相形见绌。

Zài tā de yǎnjiǎng miànqián, qítā xuǎnshǒu dōu xiāngxíng-jiànchù.

Up against her speech, all the other contestants paled in comparison.

HSK 7-9

新款手机一出，旧型号立刻相形见绌。

Xīnkuǎn shǒujī yī chū, jiù xínghào lìkè xiāngxíng-jiànchù.

The moment the new phone came out, the older model looked outclassed.

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.

相 xiāng

形 xíng

见 jiàn

绌 chù