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起死回生 (qǐ sǐ huí shēng) — to bring back from the brink of death; to revive or resurrect (literally or figuratively)

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'to bring someone or something back from the dead' — used literally for rescue from near-death and figuratively for dramatic revival (e.g. a failing company, team, plan).

idiom
to bring back from the brink of deathto revive or resurrect (literally or figuratively)

Examples

  • ，起死回生。
    Yī shēng yòng le yì zhǒng xīn yào, zhōng yú ràng bìng rén qǐ sǐ huí shēng le.
    The doctor used a new medicine and finally brought the patient back from the brink of death.
  • ，起死回生。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī tōng guò gǎi gé, shí xiàn le qǐ sǐ huí shēng.
    This company achieved a revival through reforms.
  • 起死回生。
    Zhè ge gù shi jiǎng de shì yí gè yīng xióng qǐ sǐ huí shēng de jīng lì.
    This story tells of a hero's experience of coming back from the dead.

Origin

Characters in this word

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 →

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
歹歹dǎi
Sound part声符shēngfú
尸
尸shī死sǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

死 is built from 歹 and 尸: 歹 is the part tied to the meaning, and 尸 gives the sound.

Open 死 →

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesMedicine & Treatment

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