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翻天 (fān tiān) — to cause an earth-shaking upheaval; to overturn the heavens (figurative)

Definition

翻天 (fān tiān) is a fixed figurative verb meaning 'to overturn the heavens' — used for earth-shaking upheaval, not a literal action. It normally appears in 成语 like 翻天覆地 or with 想 / 要 to describe an ambition or change of world-shaking scale.

verb
to cause an earth-shaking upheavalto overturn the heavens (figurative)

Examples

  • 翻天。
    Tā de yě xīn dà dào xiǎng fān tiān.
    His ambition is so great he wants to overturn heaven.
  • 。
    Tā fān le tiān yě méi yòng.
    Even if he overturns heaven, it's useless.
  • 翻天。
    Zhè chǎng biàn gé jiǎn zhí yào fān tiān.
    This transformation is about to cause an earth-shaking upheaval.
Appears in
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