揭竿而起

Pronunciation: jiē gān ér qǐ Literal meaning: Raise pole and rise

Origin & Usage

Jia Yi's essay on the failings of Qin describes the rising of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang: they cut wood for weapons and raised (揭) bamboo poles (竿) for banners, and so (而) rose (起), and the empire answered like a shadow. The detail is the whole point — the rebellion that toppled the first empire began with farm labourers who had no arms at all. The phrase is used of uprisings that start from nothing and from below, and it retains a distinctly approving tone in modern Chinese.

Examples

English: "When faced with adversity, we must unite and take action."

Chinese: 面对逆境时，我们必须团结一致，行动起来。