Definition
天翻地覆 is a four-character chengyu (fixed expression) that literally means 'heaven overturns, earth upends'. It is used to describe a massive, radical change or upheaval that turns things completely upside down — far more intense than 'earthshaking' alone suggests. You can use it as an attribute (with 的) or a predicate to emphasize that the scope of the change is extreme, covering entire systems or situations.
f.e.
earth-shatteringradical (change)turn everything upside down
Examples
- 天翻地覆。Zhè jǐ nián Zhōngguó fāshēng le tiān fān dì fù de biànhuà.China has undergone earth-shattering changes in recent years.
- 天翻地覆。Zhè chǎng gémìng gěi guójiā dài lái le tiān fān dì fù de chōngjī.This revolution brought an earth-shattering impact to the country.
- 天翻地覆。Zhège xiāoxi ràng dàjiā gǎndào tiān fān dì fù.This news made everyone feel it was earth-shattering.
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