迥然不同

jiǒngrán-bùtóng
idiom #34,512

Meanings

  1. 1 utterly different
  2. 2 poles apart
  3. 3 completely distinct

Examples

HSK 2
Tā jīntiān de tàidù hé zuótiān jiǒngrán-bùtóng.
His attitude today is completely different from yesterday's.
HSK 4
Liǎng xiōngdì de xìnggé jiǒngrán-bùtóng.
The two brothers' personalities are poles apart.
HSK 5
Nánběi yǐnshí xíguàn jiǒngrán-bùtóng.
The eating habits of north and south are utterly different.

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. 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 B 迥然不同 / A B 迥然不同.

Stroke Order

jiǒng
rán
tóng