来势汹汹 (lái shì xiōng xiōng) — (idiom) to approach with menacing momentum; to bear down aggressively

Definition

An idiom for something that comes at you with overwhelming, menacing force — like a storm, crisis, or rival. Pairs with a subject (the force), not a person acting.

idiom
to approach with menacing momentumto bear down aggressively

Examples

  • 来势汹汹，。
    Bào fēng yǔ lái shì xiōng xiōng, yán hǎi jū mín yǐ jīng zuò hǎo le zhǔn bèi.
    The storm is approaching menacingly, and coastal residents are already prepared.
  • 来势汹汹，。
    Jìng zhēng duì shǒu lái shì xiōng xiōng, wǒ men bì xū jǐn kuài tuī chū xīn chǎn pǐn.
    The competitor is bearing down aggressively, and we must launch a new product as soon as possible.
  • 来势汹汹，。
    Kǎo shì lái shì xiōng xiōng, tā fǎn ér gèng jiā lěng jìng le.
    With the exam bearing down on him, he became even calmer instead.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

来势coming momentum
来láicome势shìmomentum
偏正Modifier + head
汹汹fierce
汹xiōngfierce汹xiōngfierce
重叠Reduplication

来势 coming momentum and 汹汹 fierce combine to describe something bearing down fiercely.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →

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 勢; 势 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìpower
Sound part声符shēngfú
埶
埶yì勢shì
Same sound today

The traditional form 勢 combines 力, meaning power, with 埶 for the sound. The simplified 势 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 势 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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