起死回生 — “To bring someone back to life”
起死回生 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to bring someone back to life”. To revive a dying person or a hopeless situation; to miraculously restore to health or a thriving state. Literally, “Rise from death, return to life”.
起死回生 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 起qǐ
- 死sǐ
- 回huí
- 生shēng
起死回生 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 起死回生
Origin and Story of 起死回生
During the Warring States period, the famous physician Bian Que once arrived in the State of Guo. He heard that the Prince of Guo had suddenly died of an acute illness that morning. Bian Que requested permission to examine the Prince.
Upon reaching the Prince's bedside, he meticulously checked him, discovering a faint warmth on the inside of the Prince's thighs and a slight ringing sound in his ears. Bian Que declared, 'The Prince is only in a severe coma; he can still be saved!'
He used acupuncture to help the Prince regain his breath, then applied hot compresses to his body, eventually bringing him back to consciousness. Bian Que then prescribed some medicine, and after taking it for twenty days, the Prince made a complete recovery.
The King of Guo repeatedly thanked Bian Que, but Bian Que humbly replied, 'I did not bring the dead back to life. It was only because the Prince was not truly dead that I was able to save him.'
Idioms Related to 起死回生
Synonyms of 起死回生
More idioms starting with 起
- qǐ起yǎn偃wéi为shù竖grant clemency or raise from distress
- qǐ起bīng兵dòng动zhòng众mobilize a large number of people
- qǐ起fèng凤téng腾jiāo蛟possessing exceptional literary talent
- qǐ起jū居wú无shí时to lead an irregular life
- qǐ起shī师dòng动zhòng众mobilize a large force
- qǐ起chéng承zhuǎn转hé合
- qǐ起zǎo早guà挂wǎn晚work extremely hard from dawn till night
- qǐ起zǎo早mō摸hēi黑toil from dawn till dusk
- qǐ起zǎo早shuì睡wǎn晚work diligently from dawn till night
- qǐ起zǎo早tān贪hēi黑toil from dawn till dusk
- qǐ起gēn根fā发yóu由trace the origin and development
- qǐ起sǐ死rén人ér而ròu肉bái白gǔ骨bring back from brink of death
Questions about 起死回生
- What does 起死回生 mean?
- 起死回生 (qǐ sǐ huí shēng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to bring someone back to life”.
- How do you pronounce 起死回生?
- 起死回生 is pronounced qǐ sǐ huí shēng in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 起死回生 literally mean?
- Literally, 起死回生 means “Rise from death, return to life”. It is used to mean “to bring someone back to life”.
- Where does 起死回生 come from?
- 起死回生 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 起死回生?
- 把快要死的人救活。形容医术高明。也比喻把已经没有希望的事物挽救过来。