鹤立鸡群 (hè lì jī qún)

Character breakdown

• 鹤 (hè) · 15 strokes

  Phonosemantic compound. 鸟 represents the meaning and 隺 represents the sound.

• 立 (Lì) · 5 strokes

  Pictograph of a person standing on the ground.

• 鸡 (jī) · 7 strokes

  Simplified form of 雞. The traditional 隹 (bird) component was replaced with 鸟, a different character for "bird".

• 群 (qún) · 13 strokes

  Phonosemantic compound. 羊 represents the meaning and 君 represents the sound.

Usage

他的才华在同龄人中鹤立鸡群。

a crane in a flock of chicken (idiom); way above the common; manifestly superior

tā de cái huá zài tóng líng rén zhōng hè lì jī qún 。