乾坤 (qián kūn) — heaven and earth; the universe; the cosmos; the state of affairs; the general situation (often in set phrases)

Definition

Literary word for 'heaven and earth' or 'the cosmos', from the I Ching trigrams. In set phrases like 扭转乾坤 it means 'the state of affairs / the situation'.

noun
heaven and earththe universethe cosmosthe state of affairsthe general situation (often in set phrases)

Examples

  • Zhè ge jì huà ruò néng chéng gōng, jiāng chè dǐ niǔ zhuǎn qián kūn.
    If this plan succeeds, it will completely turn the situation around.
  • 乾坤
    Jiāng hú zhī zhōng, shuí néng dìng qián kūn?
    In the world of martial arts, who can decide the fate of the world?
  • 乾坤
    Lǎng lǎng qián kūn, qǐ róng xié è héng xíng?
    In this bright and clear world, how can evil run rampant?

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