The New Dictionary.
Search dictionary
Chinese/Dictionary entry

八仙过海，各显神通

Bā xiān guò hǎi , gè xiǎn shén tōngdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. the Eight Immortals cross the sea, each showing his own special talent (idiom) / fig. (of each individual in a group) to give full play to one's unique capabilities
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-70d9ee9884b7b085. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

八仙過海，各顯神通 八仙过海，各显神通 [Ba1 xian1 guo4 hai3 , ge4 xian3 shen2 tong1] /lit. the Eight Immortals cross the sea, each showing his own special talent (idiom)/fig. (of each individual in a group) to give full play to one's unique capabilities/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 八仙過海，各顯神通

  • 八
    bā

    eight

  • 仙
    xiān

    immortal

  • 过
    guò

    to cross / to go over / to pass (time) / to celebrate (a holiday) / to live / to get along / excessively / too-

    guo

    (experienced action marker)

    Guō

    surname Guo

  • 海
    hǎi

    ocean / sea / CL:個|个[gè],片[piàn] / great number of people or things / (dialect) numerous

    Hǎi

    surname Hai

  • 各
    gè

    each / every

  • 显
    xiǎn

    to make visible / to reveal / prominent / conspicuous / (prefix) phanero-

  • 神
    shén

    god / deity / supernatural / magical / mysterious / spirit / mind / energy / lively / expressive / look / expression / (coll.) awesome / amazing

  • 通
    tōng

    to go through / to know well / (suffix) expert / to connect / to communicate / open / to clear / classifier for letters, telegrams, phone calls etc

    tòng

    classifier for an activity, taken in its entirety (tirade of abuse, stint of music playing, bout of drinking etc)

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.