截然不同
- Literal
- cut clean apart, not the same
- Figurative
- Sharply, categorically different, with no middle ground: two things that are nothing alike even on close inspection.
Where does 截然不同 come from?
It does not come from any anecdote: it is a descriptive formula of the written language. The key is 截, "to cut through": 截然 describes a separation as clean as the line left by a single stroke of the blade, with no middle ground and no shading. Joined to 不同, "different," the result says not merely that two things differ but that the difference is absolute. It shows up often in the press and in academic writing, and in careful speech as well.
How is 截然不同 used? Two examples
- 两个人的性格截然不同，可是相处得很好。
The two of them have completely opposite personalities, yet they get along great.
- 南方和北方的早饭截然不同，第一次去会不习惯。
Breakfast in the south and in the north are nothing alike; the first time you go it feels strange.
In Wanyu, all 400 chengyu have audio on every sentence, and you can save them to your decks and review them with spaced repetition. Free.
