似曾相识 (sì céng xiāng shí): déjà vu (the experience of seeing exactly the same situation a second time); seemingly familiar; apparently already acquainted

Meaning & Stroke Order

HSK 7

Word info

Pinyin
Meaning: déjà vu (the experience of seeing exactly the same situation a second time); seemingly familiar; apparently already acquainted
Characters: 4
HSK level: HSK 7

Full definitions

déjà vu (the experience of seeing exactly the same situation a second time)
seemingly familiar
apparently already acquainted

Chinese explanation

指感觉眼前的人、地方或情景好像以前见过或经历过，但实际上并没有真正遇到过的一种心理体验。
这种感觉常让人觉得熟悉又难以解释，好像时间或记忆出现了重复。
也可用来形容对某件事、某个场面感到非常熟悉，仿佛曾经发生过一样。

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Character breakdown

Meaning unavailable yet.

HSK 5

once

HSK 3

each other; one another; mutually

HSK 6

to know

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Example sentences

Walking into this old bookstore, I noticed the creaking wooden floor and smelled the musty pages, and suddenly had a feeling of déjà vu.

When she first met that new colleague, she felt his smile and way of speaking were déjà vu, as if she had seen him somewhere before.

The police officer felt a sense of déjà vu seeing the layout of the crime scene, because a nearly identical burglary had occurred in another city three months earlier.

During their trip they偶然 stepped into a small café and found the decor and music déjà vu; it turned out they had each been there years ago.

Listening to the piece he played, the melody felt like déjà vu, yet she couldn't recall its name no matter how hard she tried, which made her a bit anxious.

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