大相径庭

Pronunciation: dà xiāng jìng tíng Literal meaning: As far apart as the path outside and the courtyard within

Origin & Usage

The Zhuangzi's wording is 大有径庭 — there is a great deal of 径庭 about it — where 径 is the footpath outside a door and 庭 the courtyard within, the gap between them standing for the distance between what was said and ordinary sense. The modern form puts 相 in, making it mutual. What the phrase asserts is a difference of kind rather than of degree, which is why Chinese will not use it for close comparisons: two things 大相径庭 are not being ranked, they are being placed apart.

Examples

English: "Their views on the matter are completely different."

Chinese: 他们对这件事的看法大相径庭。