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相形見絀

简相形见绌 · 繁相形見絀

Mandarin · pinyin xiāng xíng jiàn chù

to pale by comparison (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

相: xiāng · mutual, reciprocal, each other
形: xíng · form, shape, appearance
見: jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive; Kangxi radical 147
絀: Look up this written character
见: jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive
绌: chù · sew, stitch; insufficient

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

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Mandarin tones

1–2–4–4 · xiang1 xing2 jian4 chu4

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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.

相形見絀 · find source passages ↗ · 相形见绌 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

soeng1 jing4 gin3 zyut3

Cantonese word readings for 相形見絀. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) pale by comparison; be outshone

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

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