出类拔萃 — “To be outstanding”
出类拔萃 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be outstanding”. Preeminent; to excel all others of one's kind; to stand out from the crowd. Literally, “To emerge from the class, to pull out from the cluster”.
出类拔萃 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 出chū
- 类lèi
- 拔bá
- 萃cuì
出类拔萃 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 出类拔萃
Origin and Story of 出类拔萃
Mencius, whose given name was Ke and courtesy name Ziyu, was from the State of Zou (modern-day Zouchang, Shandong). He was a student of Zisi, Confucius's grandson. Inheriting Confucius's teachings, he became a great thinker and educator during the Warring States period.
One day, Mencius's student Gongsun Chou asked, "Teacher, were the ancient figures Boyi and Yiyin comparable to Confucius?"
Mencius replied, "You Ruo, a student of Confucius, once said: 'All things of the same kind can be compared. For instance, a qilin compared to other beasts, a phoenix compared to other birds, Mount Tai compared to other hills, and rivers and seas compared to puddles and streams – the former invariably far surpasses the latter. Saints, though of the same kind as other people, have far surpassed and excelled beyond them (out of their kind and towering above their peers). Since humanity began, no one has been greater than Confucius.'"
Idioms Related to 出类拔萃
Antonyms of 出类拔萃
More idioms starting with 出
- chū出yī一tóu头dì地to distinguish oneself
- chū出chǒu丑yáng扬jí疾expose one's disgraceful conduct publicly
- chū出chǒu丑fàng放guāi乖make a fool of oneself
- chū出shì世lí离qún群withdraw from society
- chū出shì世chāo超fán凡transcend the mundane and be extraordinary
- chū出hū乎qí其lèi类，，bá拔hū乎qí其cuì萃to be outstanding among one's peers
- chū出hū乎fǎn反hū乎go back on one's word
- chū出hū乎yì意wài外beyond one's expectations
- chū出hū乎yì意liào料beyond all expectation
- chū出hū乎yì意biǎo表beyond expectation
- chū出hū乎yù预liào料beyond expectation
- chū出guāi乖nòng弄chǒu丑make a fool of oneself
Questions about 出类拔萃
- What does 出类拔萃 mean?
- 出类拔萃 (chū lèi bá cuì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be outstanding”.
- How do you pronounce 出类拔萃?
- 出类拔萃 is pronounced chū lèi bá cuì in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 出类拔萃 literally mean?
- Literally, 出类拔萃 means “to emerge from the class, to pull out from the cluster”. It is used to mean “to be outstanding”.
- Where does 出类拔萃 come from?
- 出类拔萃 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 出类拔萃?
- 拔：超出；类：同类；萃：原为草丛生的样子，引伸为聚集。超出同类之上。多指人的品德才能。