四不像

Chinese

		four	not; no	(look) like; similar (to); appearance (look) like; similar (to); appearance; to appear; to seem; image; portrait; resemble; seem
trad. (四不像)		四	不	像
simp. #(四不像)		四	不	像
Literally: “unlike any of the four”.

Etymology

"elaphure"

Elaphures are traditionally described as having "horse's face, cattle's hoof, deer's antler and donkey's tail".

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sìbùxiàng

  (Zhuyin): ㄙˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sei³ bat¹ zoeng⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sìbùxiàng [Phonetic: sìbúxiàng]
    • Zhuyin: ㄙˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sìhbùsiàng
    • Wade–Giles: ssŭ⁴-pu⁴-hsiang⁴
    • Yale: sz̀-bù-syàng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: syhbushianq
    • Palladius: сыбусян (sybusjan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sei³ bat¹ zoeng⁶
    • Yale: sei bāt jeuhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sei³ bat⁷ dzoeng⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: séi³ bed¹ zêng⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sei̯³³ pɐt̚⁵ t͡sœːŋ²²/

Noun

四不像

1. (informal) Père David's deer; elaphure
2. something that resembles many other things partly, but none of them as a whole; mixture; neither fish nor fowl

Synonyms

• (elaphure): 麋鹿 (mílù)
• (neither fish nor fowl): 不倫不類／不伦不类 (bùlúnbùlèi), 非驢非馬／非驴非马 (fēilǘfēimǎ), 不三不四 (bùsānbùsì), (Cantonese) 唔三唔四 (m⁴ saam¹ m⁴ sei³)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
四	不	像
し Grade: 1	ふ Grade: 4	ぞう Grade: 5
on’yomi

Noun

四(し)不(ふ)像(ぞう) or 四不像(シフゾウ) • (shifuzō) 

1. Père David's deer

Korean

Hanja in this term
四	不	像

Noun

四不像 • (sabulsang) (hangeul 사불상)

1. Hanja form^? of 사불상 (“Père David's deer”).

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
四	不	像

Noun

四不像

1. chữ Hán form of tứ bất tượng (“Père David's deer”).