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翻天 (fān tiān) — to cause an earth-shaking upheaval; to overturn the heavens (figurative)

Definition

翻天 (fān tiān) is a fixed figurative verb meaning 'to overturn the heavens' — used for earth-shaking upheaval, not a literal action. It normally appears in 成语 like 翻天覆地 or with 想 / 要 to describe an ambition or change of world-shaking scale.

verb
to cause an earth-shaking upheavalto overturn the heavens (figurative)

Examples

  • 翻天。
    Tā de yě xīn dà dào xiǎng fān tiān.
    His ambition is so great he wants to overturn heaven.
  • 。
    Tā fān le tiān yě méi yòng.
    Even if he overturns heaven, it's useless.
  • 翻天。
    Zhè chǎng biàn gé jiǎn zhí yào fān tiān.
    This transformation is about to cause an earth-shaking upheaval.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

翻fānoverturn
天tiānheaven

翻 “overturn” and 天 “heaven” together mean causing a great upheaval.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
羽羽yǔwings
Sound part声符shēngfú
番
番fān翻fān
Same sound today

翻 pairs 羽 (wings) with 番, which gives the sound. The shape shows something fluttering.

Open 翻 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →
Appears in
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