How do you pronounce 力挽狂澜?

力挽狂澜 is pronounced as "lì wǎn kuáng lán" in Mandarin Chinese.

力挽狂澜

Q: What does 力挽狂澜 mean?

力挽狂澜 (lì wǎn kuáng lán) literally means "Pull back raging tides" and metaphorically means "Heroically reversing catastrophic situation". It belongs to the Success & Perseverance category of Chinese idioms.

Q: When is 力挽狂澜 used?

力挽狂澜 is used when The new CEO worked tirelessly to save the company from imminent bankruptcy.

力挽狂澜 (lì wǎn kuáng lán) literally means “pull back raging tides” and expresses “heroically reversing catastrophic situation”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving success and perseverance.

Also searched as: li wan kuang lan, li wan kuang lan,力挽狂澜 meaning, 力挽狂澜 in english

Heroically reversing catastrophic situation

Pronunciation: lì wǎn kuáng lán Literal meaning: Pull back raging tides

Origin & Usage

Han Yu, in the piece usually called On the Advancement of Learning, has a student praise his teacher for damming the hundred rivers and turning back the wild wave (狂澜) after it has already broken — 回狂澜于既倒. The four characters used today are a later compression of that line. To use force (力) to haul back (挽) a tide already collapsing is by definition a losing proposition, and the point is the attempt. Chinese reserves the phrase for intervention at the moment a situation has started to go, and it is high praise.

Examples

English: "The new CEO worked tirelessly to save the company from imminent bankruptcy"

Chinese: 新任CEO不知疲倦地工作，使公司免于即将到来的破产危机

Related Chinese Idioms

Similar idioms about success & perseverance

不屈不挠

bù qū bù náo

Indomitable; unyielding

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一往无前

yī wǎng wú qián

Press forward courageously

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推波助澜

tuī bō zhù lán

Amplifying existing trends or momentum

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自强不息

zì qiáng bù xī

Strive continuously for self-improvement

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大器晚成

dà qì wǎn chéng

Excellence develops with time

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卧薪尝胆

wò xīn cháng dǎn

Endure hardship for future success

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再接再厉

zài jiē zài lì

Continue efforts with undiminished enthusiasm

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朝气蓬勃

zhāo qì péng bó

Vibrant youthful energy and enthusiasm

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does 力挽狂澜 mean in English?

力挽狂澜 (lì wǎn kuáng lán) literally translates to “Pull back raging tides” and is used to express “Heroically reversing catastrophic situation”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Success & Perseverance category.