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差异 meaning in English

chāyì

difference; discrepancy

HSK 6nounTraditional 差異15 strokes

Meaning of 差异

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

chāyì
  1. difference; discrepancy

How to use 差异

差异 is a fairly formal noun used for differences in culture, opinion, data, or regions. It often appears with 有, 存在, or 很大. Example: 南北方的饮食有很大差异。(Nánběifāng de yǐnshí yǒu hěn dà chāyì.) Northern and southern food differ a lot.

差 (chā) means to differ or fall short, and 异 (yì) means different or unusual. Put two words for "not the same" together and you get 差异, a difference between things.

Common mistake: Learners often read 差 here as chà, as in 差不多 (chàbuduō), or as chāi, as in 出差 (chūchāi). In 差异 it is first tone chā, the same as in 差别 (chābié) and 差距 (chājù).

差异 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

事shì物wù无wú论lùn多duō相xiāng似sì还hái是shì会huì有yǒu点diǎn差chā异yì的de。
No matter how close the resemblance, there's always a difference.
差chā异yì惊jīng人rén。
The difference is striking.
这zhè两liǎng张zhāng图tú片piàn之zhī间jiān有yǒu细xì致zhì的de差chā异yì。
There are subtle differences between the two pictures.
南nán方fāng和hé北běi方fāng的de差chā异yì很hěn大dà。
The north differs greatly from the south.
因yīn为wèi在zài甲jiǎ级jí联lián赛sài中zhōng，所suǒ有yǒu队duì伍wǔ都dōu很hěn有yǒu实shí力lì，净jìng胜shèng球qiú差chā异yì很hěn小xiǎo。
Because all of the teams in the Premier League are really strong, the goal difference is usually small.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

差 chà · different · 9 strokes

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9

异 yì · different · 6 strokes

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6

Related words

Words that share a character with 差异.

差不多chàbuduōalmost; nearly
出差chūchāito go on an official or business trip
差别chābiédifference; distinction; disparity
差距chājùdisparity; gap
差点儿chàdiǎnrerhua variant of 差點|差点[cha4 dian3]
差一点儿chàyīdiǎnrerhua variant of 差一點|差一点[cha4 yi1 dian3]
异常yìchángunusual; abnormal; extremely; exceptionally
怪异guàiyìmonstrous; strange
差错chācuòmistake; slip-up; fault; error; accident; mishap
异议yìyìobjection; dissent
变异biànyìvariation
异性yìxìngthe opposite sex; of the opposite sex

Questions about 差异

What does 差异 mean?

差异 (chāyì) means "difference; discrepancy" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 差异?

差异 is made of 2 characters: 差 (9 strokes), 异 (6 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.

Is 差异 an HSK word?

Yes. 差异 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 差异 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 差异 is written 差異.

What is the difference between 差异 and 差距?

差异 simply means two things are different. 差距 (chājù) means a gap, usually where one side is behind or lower, like a gap in income or skill.

Can I use 差异 in casual conversation?

You can, but it sounds a bit formal. In everyday speech people often say 不一样 (bù yíyàng) or 区别 (qūbié) instead.

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