揭竿而起 (jiē gān ér qǐ) — to start a rebellion, to rise up in revolt

Definition

A vivid chengyu for a sudden popular uprising — literally 'raise the pole and rise,' evoking peasants grabbing any weapon at hand. Used in formal/historical writing to describe armed revolt, not peaceful protest.

verb

to start a rebellionto rise up in revolt

Examples

，揭竿而起。
Nóng mín bù kān yā pò, fēn fēn jiē gān ér qǐ.
The peasants, unable to bear the oppression, rose up in rebellion one after another.
揭竿而起。
Lì shǐ shàng duō cì jiē gān ér qǐ de qǐ yì dōu gǎi biàn le zhèng quán gé jú.
Many historical uprisings that started rebellions have changed the political landscape.
，揭竿而起，。
Tā men rěn wú kě rěn, zuì zhōng jiē gān ér qǐ, fǎn kàng bào zhèng.
They could no longer tolerate it and finally rose in revolt against the tyranny.

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