悬殊

• Pinyin: xuán shū
• Hanzi breakdown: 悬 (extreme difference, far apart); 殊 = 歹 (bone fragment radical) + 朱 (red/phonetic) — original meaning: to kill; extended: exceptional, markedly different

Meaning

Vastly different; a great disparity; a wide gap. Describes a situation where the difference between two sides is extremely large.

Common in political, social, economic, and sports contexts to describe large differences in wealth, strength, ability, or score. Often appears in patterns like 差距悬殊, 实力悬殊, and 贫富悬殊.

Examples

1. 两队实力悬殊，比赛开始仅十分钟，强队便已取得了三比零的领先优势。 The two teams were mismatched in strength; just ten minutes into the game, the stronger team was already leading 3–0.
2. 贫富悬殊是当今全球范围内亟待解决的重大社会问题，需要各国合力共同应对。 The vast gap between rich and poor is a major social problem that urgently needs to be addressed worldwide and requires countries to work together.
3. 尽管双方年龄悬殊，两人却在共同的爱好中结为了难得的忘年之交。 Despite their large age difference, the two became rare friends across generations through their shared interests.

Usage Guide

Context: social, sports, politics, economy

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 两国军事实力悬殊，弱国在谈判桌上基本没有讨价还价的余地，只能接受强国开出的条件。(The military strength of the two countries differs vastly, leaving the weaker nation virtually no room to negotiate — it has little choice but to accept the terms set by the stronger power.)
• 这场庭审中，控辩双方在证据质量上悬殊极大，陪审团的判断因此几乎毫无悬念。(In this trial, the quality of evidence between prosecution and defence was so vastly different that the jury's verdict held virtually no suspense.)

Don't Say

• 他们的衣服颜色悬殊 — 悬殊 describes fundamental differences in power, wealth, ability, or scale; for a difference in colour use 差异很大 or 颜色各异; 悬殊 is too strong a term for superficial or aesthetic differences

Origin & History

悬 (hanging apart/extreme distance) + 殊 (different/exceptional)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal