CHENGYU
不相上下(bù xiāng shàng xià)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral
- Source:
- 唐·陆龟蒙《蠹化》
MEANING
- Literal
- neither above nor below the other
- Figurative meaning
- neck and neck; equally matched
ORIGIN STORY
The Tang writer Lu Guimeng watched silkworms feeding under leaves "as fast as hungry silkworms, neither above nor below one another". From ravenous peers came the phrase for any even match.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“neck and neck”
EXAMPLES
两人的水平不相上下。Liǎng rén de shuǐpíng bù xiāng shàng xià.HSK6
The two are neck and neck in ability.
这两款手机的性能不相上下。Zhè liǎng kuǎn shǒujī de xìngnéng bù xiāng shàng xià.HSK6
The two phones are evenly matched in performance.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Both sides must be roughly equal — it is not about being unrelated or unknown.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01