回天乏术 (huí tiān fá shù) — unable to save the situation; powerless to turn things around

Definition

Idiom for 'powerless to reverse a desperate situation' — used when every effort has failed and the outcome is already sealed. Lit. 'lacking the art to turn back heaven'.

idiom
unable to save the situationpowerless to turn things around

Examples

  • ，，回天乏术。
    Yī shēng jìn lì qiǎng jiù, dàn bìng rén shāng shì tài zhòng, yǐ shì huí tiān fá shù.
    The doctors did their best, but the patient's injuries were too severe — the situation was beyond saving.
  • ，回天乏术。
    Gōng sī pò chǎn yǐ chéng dìng jú, guǎn lǐ céng gǎn dào huí tiān fá shù.
    The company's bankruptcy was already a foregone conclusion, and management felt powerless to reverse it.
  • ，回天乏术。
    Suī rán tā nǔ lì wǎn huí, dàn jú miàn yǐ jīng huí tiān fá shù le.
    Although he tried hard to salvage it, the situation was already hopeless.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

回 comes from a drawing of a spiral, showing something turning around.

Open 回 →

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 乏 →

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 術; 术 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
行行xíngstreet, path
Sound part声符shēngfú
朮
朮zhú術shù
Same sound today

The traditional form 術 has 行 (street, path) beside 朮, which gives the sound; the simplified 术 is a later shorthand.

Open 术 →

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