力挽狂瀾
Chinese
| power; force; strength | draw; pull; send funeral ode | roaring waves; unstable situation; volatile state | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (力挽狂瀾) | 力 | 挽 | 狂瀾 | |
| simp. (力挽狂澜) | 力 | 挽 | 狂澜 | |
| Literally: “to pull strongly against a roaring tide”. | ||||
Etymology
From a famous verse by Han Yu (768～824):
- 障百川而東之，回狂瀾於既倒。先生之於儒，可謂有勞矣。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
- From: c. 812, 韓愈 (Han Yu), 《進學解》, translated by Charles Hartman
- Zhàng bǎichuān ér dōng zhī, huí kuánglán yú jìdào. Xiānshēng zhī yú rú, kěwèi yǒuláo yǐ. [Pinyin]
- You have channeled and brought home the hundred streams
have turned back a raging wave, already crested.
Truly, Sir, it must be said:
your labors for Confucian teaching are uncontested.
障百川而东之，回狂澜于既倒。先生之于儒，可谓有劳矣。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin: lìwǎnkuánglán
- Zhuyin: ㄌㄧˋ ㄨㄢˇ ㄎㄨㄤˊ ㄌㄢˊ
- Tongyong Pinyin: lìwǎnkuánglán
- Wade–Giles: li4-wan3-kʻuang2-lan2
- Yale: lì-wǎn-kwáng-lán
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: lihwoankwanglan
- Palladius: ливанькуанлань (livanʹkuanlanʹ)
- Sinological IPA (key): /li⁵¹ wän²¹⁴⁻²¹ kʰu̯ɑŋ³⁵ län³⁵/
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: lik6 waan5 kwong4 laan4
- Yale: lihk wáahn kwòhng làahn
- Cantonese Pinyin: lik9 waan5 kwong4 laan4
- Guangdong Romanization: lig6 wan5 kuong4 lan4
- Sinological IPA (key): /lɪk̚² waːn¹³ kʷʰɔːŋ²¹ laːn²¹/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
Idiom
力挽狂瀾