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風馬牛不相及. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
風馬牛不相及, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
風馬牛不相及 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
風馬牛不相及 you have here. The definition of the word
風馬牛不相及 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
風馬牛不相及, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Chinese
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to attract to each other
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horse; surname
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ox; cow; bull
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not; no
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| trad. (風馬牛不相及)
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風
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馬
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牛
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不
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相及
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| simp. (风马牛不相及)
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风
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马
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牛
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不
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相及
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| Literally: “when the horses and cattle are in heat, they cannot come close to one another ”.
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Etymology
A story from Zuozhuan (《左傳·僖公四年》):
楚子使與師言曰：君處北海，寡人處南海，唯是風馬牛不相及也。不虞君之涉吾地也，何故。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
楚子使与师言曰：君处北海，寡人处南海，唯是风马牛不相及也。不虞君之涉吾地也，何故。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]- From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4th century BCE, translation from Zuozhuan: Commentary on the "Spring and Autumn Annals" (2017), by Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li and David Schaberg
- Chǔ Zǐ shǐ yǔ shī yán yuē: Jūn chǔ bòhǎi, guǎrén chǔ nánhǎi, wéi shì fēng mǎ niú bù xiāngjí yě. Bùyú jūn zhī shè wú dì yě, hégù.
- The Master of Chu sent someone to speak with the allies' troops: "Your ruler dwells near the northern sea, while I, the unworthy one, dwell near the southern sea. Even when our horses and cattle are in heat, they cannot come close to one another. So I did not expect that you would encroach upon our territory. Why have you done so?"
Pronunciation
Idiom
風馬牛不相及
- (of things) to have no relationship with each other whatsoever; to be totally irrelevant; apples and oranges
See also