龙腾虎跃

Pronunciation: lóng téng hǔ yuè Literal meaning: Dragon soaring tiger leaping

Origin & Usage

Dragons (龙) rising (腾) and tigers (虎) leaping (跃) — the two most powerful animals in the Chinese repertoire, both shown mid-movement. What the phrase describes is collective energy rather than individual achievement: a workshop in full production, a sports ground, a construction site. It is very common in official and journalistic writing about national effort, and it describes the look of vigorous activity, which is not always the same thing as its results.

Examples

English: "The athletes' performance at the championship was nothing short of spectacular."

Chinese: 运动员们在比赛中的表现龙腾虎跃，令人惊叹。