东山再起
- Literal
- to rise again from the eastern mountain
- Figurative
- To make a comeback and return to action after a retreat, defeat or failure; to regain lost power or success.
Where does 东山再起 come from?
Xie An was a renowned minister of the Eastern Jin dynasty. In his youth he declined official posts and lived in seclusion on Mount Dongshan in Kuaiji, devoted to landscape, poetry and music, even as the court repeatedly summoned him. Only past the age of forty, when his clan's influence waned and the realm was under threat, did he finally agree to return to politics. He rose to chancellor and directed the defense that crushed Fu Jian's vast army at the Battle of the Fei River. His return to power from that retreat on Dongshan gave the idiom its name.
Source (出处): 《晋书·谢安传》
How is 东山再起 used? Two examples
- 公司破产以后，他没有放弃，几年后又东山再起。
After the company went bankrupt he didn't give up, and a few years later he made a comeback.
- 输了这场比赛没关系，我相信你一定能东山再起。
It doesn't matter that you lost this match; I'm sure you'll bounce back and rise again.
In Wanyu, all 400 chengyu have audio on every sentence, and you can save them to your decks and review them with spaced repetition. Free.
