tour de force
tour de force — noun
1. a feat, performance, or piece of work that requires and demonstrates great skill
a feat, performance, or piece of work that requires and demonstrates great skill, strength, or ingenuity
Obi's final painting was a tour de force — the gallery owner offered him an exhibition on the spot.
be + a tour de force; dash for impact
The seven-course dinner was a tour de force of modern Taiwanese cuisine, according to the critics.
tour de force of [field/domain]
Rodrigo's performance in the school play was a tour de force that earned him a standing ovation.
Many critics consider García Márquez's novel a literary tour de force that changed modern storytelling.
Mei designed a thirty-square-metre house that fits a whole family — a true tour de force of clever engineering.
- masterpiece
Focuses on the work itself being of the highest quality; 'tour de force' emphasises the skill and effort displayed
- masterstroke
Describes a single clever action or decision rather than an entire body of work
- feat
Broader and more informal; lacks the French-loanword prestige of 'tour de force'
- failure
The opposite of a successful achievement
- mediocrity
Ordinary work that shows no special skill
用法筆記
Frequently used with 'a' (indefinite article) and often followed by 'of + domain' (e.g. 'a tour de force of storytelling'). Typically used predicatively ('Her speech was a tour de force') rather than attributively ('a tour de force speech'). The phrase emphasises not just an impressive result but the remarkable strength, ingenuity, or effort required to achieve it — it is a genuine feat of skill, whether in art, engineering, sports, or intellectual work.