巧夺天工

qiǎo duó tiān gōng

craftsmanship that surpasses nature

Character by character

巧qiǎo
skill

夺duó
outdoes

天tiān
heaven’s

工gōng
work

这件瓷器真是巧夺天工。

This piece of porcelain is truly a marvel of craftsmanship.

Tone: positive (praise).

For man-made things only, never for natural scenery.

Learn this in Lesson 80 · HSK 6–7: 四大发明 (The four great inventions)

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.