DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

別出心裁

简别出心裁 · 繁別出心裁

Mandarin · pinyin bié chū xīn cái

to hit on sth new (idiom); to display originality
to adopt an original approach

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

別: Look up this written character
出: chū · go out, send out; stand; produce
心: xīn · heart; mind, intelligence; soul; 5th lunar mansion, determinative star α Scorpii (Antares)
裁: cái · cut out; decrease
别: bié · separate, other; do not

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

2–1–1–2 · bie2 chu1 xin1 cai2

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

5character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

別出心裁 · find source passages ↗ · 别出心裁 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

bit6 ceot1 sam1 coi4

Cantonese word readings for 別出心裁. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to try to be different; to be out of the ordinary

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack