腾达 (téng dá) — to have a meteoric rise (in one's career); to p… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary/literary-style verb for a meteoric career rise or rapid success. Almost always appears in the set phrase 飞黄腾达 (fēihuáng téngdá) meaning 'to soar to greatness'.

verb

to have a meteoric rise (in one's career)to prosper and thrive

Examples

，腾达。
Tā jīng guò duō nián de nǔ lì, zhōng yú téng dá le.
After years of hard work, he finally achieved meteoric success.
，腾达。
Zhè jiā gōng sī fā zhǎn hěn kuài, jìn jǐ nián bú duàn téng dá.
This company develops quickly and has been continuously thriving in recent years.
腾达。
Tā nián qīng shí jiù mèng xiǎng yǒu zhāo yí rì néng fēi huáng téng dá.
Since he was young, he dreamed of one day achieving a meteoric rise in his career.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

达dáattain

腾 means soar and 达 means attain, so together they describe rising and prospering.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 騰; 腾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

馬馬mǎhorse

Sound part声符shēngfú

朕

朕zhèn騰téng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 騰 pairs 馬 (horse) with 朕 as a sound part; it described a horse's gallop or prance. The simplified 腾 is a later shorthand.

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

辶大达

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuò

Sound part声符shēngfú

大

大dà达dá

Same sound today

This form 达 pairs 辶 (written in full as 辵) with 大 as a sound component.

Appears in

Success & Failure

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.