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重见天日 (chóng jiàn tiān rì) — to be delivered from oppression; to see the light again (idiom)

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning to be freed from long suffering or injustice and finally emerge into the open — literally 'see the sky and sun again'. Used for prisoners, persecuted people, or lost things restored after a long time.

idiom
to be delivered from oppressionto see the light again (idiom)

Examples

  • ，重见天日。
    Zài hēi àn zhōng shēng huó le shí nián, tā zhōng yú chóng jiàn tiān rì le.
    After living in darkness for ten years, he finally saw the light again.
  • ，重见天日。
    Zhè ge guó jiā de rén mín jīng guò cháng qī dòu zhēng, zhōng yú chóng jiàn tiān rì.
    The people of this country, after a long struggle, were finally delivered from oppression.
  • ，重见天日，。
    Tā bèi yuān wang rù yù èr shí nián, rú jīn chóng jiàn tiān rì, lìng rén gǎn kǎi.
    He was wrongfully imprisoned for twenty years, and now he has seen the light again — it's really moving.

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
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
東
東dōng重zhòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

重 developed from a picture of a man carrying a bag, with 人 for the man and 東 for the bag; a later ground element was folded into the form.

Open 重 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 見; 见 is its simplified writing.

  • 目目mùeye
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The traditional form 見 pairs 目 (eye) with 卩 (kneeling person), showing a kneeling figure with a large eye for a head. The simplified 见 is a later shorthand.

Open 见 →

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
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

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

日 originally drew the sun. A mark was added inside to tell it apart from similar square shapes.

Open 日 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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