諺語 · a single proverb
不可同日而語
Simplified: 不可同日而语
What does 不可同日而語 (bù kě tóng rì ér yǔ) mean?
不可同日而語 (bù kě tóng rì ér yǔ) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "cannot be spoken of on the same day." In use it means: Two things that are so different in quality or scale they should not even be compared. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dragon.
Literally: "cannot be spoken of on the same day."
The reading
Putting them in the same sentence insults one and flatters the other. The gap is wide enough that comparison is not helpful, not because one is bad, but because they exist on different scales entirely. A pond and an ocean are both water. That is where the similarity ends.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Strategies of the Warring States 戰國策
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dragon, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 不可同日而語 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 不可同日而語 (bù kě tóng rì ér yǔ) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Strategies of the Warring States 戰國策. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 不可同日而語?
In Mandarin it is bù kě tóng rì ér yǔ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 不可同日而語 aloud in Mandarin.