浩浩荡荡

Pronunciation: hào hào dàng dàng Literal meaning: Vast mighty flow

Origin & Usage

Vast (浩浩) and sweeping (荡荡) — a doubling that Chinese uses for water in volume, and the Yueyang Tower essay applies a close variant to the lake stretching past any shore. The sound is doing much of the work, four syllables of open vowels that take a long time to say. It describes mass in motion: a river in flood, a procession, an army, a crowd. Applied to human affairs it carries a suggestion of inevitability, which is why official language is fond of it.

Examples

English: "The reform movement swept through the industry like a mighty wave"

Chinese: 改革运动浩浩荡荡地席卷了整个行业