光怪陆离
guāng guài lù lí
bizarre and many-coloured; weird and wonderful
Character by character
光guāng
light
light
怪guài
strange
strange
陆lù
varied
varied
离lí
dazzling
dazzling
Example
天黑以后，城市里五颜六色的灯光一齐亮起，光怪陆离，让人眼花缭乱。
After dark the city’s many-coloured lights all come on at once, a weird and wonderful spectacle that dazzles the eye.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Of sights strange in shape and shifting in colour: 光怪陆离的世界, 景象, 梦境, 器物. 陆离 means “dazzling, of many colours”, as in 屈原’s 《离骚》, 长余佩之陆离. It can carry a hint of chaos or unreality: 光怪陆离的社会现象.
Learn this in Lesson 174 · HSK 7–9: 三星堆 (Sanxingdui)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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