大起大落 (dà qǐ dà luò) — dramatic ups and downs, roller-coaster changes

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning wild swings between highs and lows — in fortune, mood, or plot. Pairs with abstract subjects (人生, 股市, 情节), not concrete actions.

verb
dramatic ups and downsroller-coaster changes

Examples

  • 大起大落。
    Tā de rén shēng jīng lì le hěn duō dà qǐ dà luò.
    His life has experienced many dramatic ups and downs.
  • 大起大落，。
    Jīn nián gǔ shì dà qǐ dà luò, tóu zī zhě hěn nán yù cè.
    This year the stock market has seen big ups and downs, making it hard for investors to predict.
  • 大起大落，。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō de qíng jié dà qǐ dà luò, fēi cháng xī yǐn rén.
    The plot of this novel has dramatic rises and falls and is very engaging.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

大起big rise
大dàbig起qǐrise
偏正Modifier + head
大落big fall
大dàbig落luòfall
偏正Modifier + head

大起 and 大落 stand together, large rising and large falling describing sharp swings.

Characters in this word

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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
走走zǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
巳
巳sì起qǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

起 is made from 走 and 巳: 走 is the part connected with walking or running, and 巳 gives the sound.

Open 起 →

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
洛
洛luò落luò
Same sound today

落 pairs 艹 with 洛; 洛 gives the sound, and 艹 relates to the meaning.

Open 落 →

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