女娲补天 — “Nüwa mends the sky”
女娲补天 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to mend the sky (like the goddess Nüwa), symbolizing a heroic and monumental effort to repair a great disaster or to accomplish a seemingly impossible task with immense courage and determination; to demonstrate a grand spirit of transforming the world”. Literally, “Nüwa mends the sky”.
女娲补天 Pronunciation and Pinyin
女娲补天 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 女娲补天
Origin and Story of 女娲补天
Legend has it that Pangu created the world and supported the heavens and earth with four gigantic pillars, the Buzhou Mountains.
Later, during a fierce battle for the imperial throne, Gonggong, in a fit of rage after his defeat by Zhuanxu, crashed into the Buzhou Mountain, causing it to collapse. This left a huge rift in the sky, and the earth became unstable.
Seeing the catastrophic disaster, the goddess Nüwa climbed a high mountain, kindled a divine fire, and spent countless days refining 36,501 colorful stones to mend the gaping crack in the sky.
She then cut off the four legs of a giant tortoise and used them as new pillars to support the four corners of the sky.
From that time on, the heavens and earth were permanently stable and secure.
Idioms Related to 女娲补天
More idioms starting with 女
- nǚ女zhōng中zhàng丈fū夫a heroic woman
- nǚ女zhōng中yáo尧shùn舜a sagacious and benevolent woman
- nǚ女zhōng中háo豪jié杰an outstanding woman or heroine
- nǚ女dà大bù不zhōng中liú留A grown girl should marry
- nǚ女dà大shí十bā八biàn变girls change much as they grow
- nǚ女dà大dāng当jià嫁A grown woman should marry
- nǚ女dà大nán难liú留A grown daughter is hard to keep
- nǚ女dà大xū须jià嫁A girl grown up must marry
- nǚ女zǐ子wú无cái才biàn便shì是dé德A woman's virtue is to lack talent
- nǚ女zǐ子wú无cái才biàn便shì是fú福A woman's lack of talent is a blessing
- nǚ女bàn扮nán男zhuāng妆woman disguised as a man
- nǚ女bàn扮nán男zhuāng装woman disguised as a man
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Open the tool →Questions about 女娲补天
What does 女娲补天 mean?
女娲补天 (nǚ wā bǔ tiān) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to mend the sky (like the goddess Nüwa), symbolizing a heroic and monumental effort to repair a great disaster or to accomplish a seemingly impossible task with immense courage and determination; to demonstrate a grand spirit of transforming the world”.
How do you pronounce 女娲补天?
女娲补天 is pronounced nǚ wā bǔ tiān in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 女娲补天 literally mean?
Literally, 女娲补天 means “Nüwa mends the sky”. It is used to mean “to mend the sky (like the goddess Nüwa), symbolizing a heroic and monumental effort to repair a great disaster or to accomplish a seemingly impossible task with immense courage and determination; to demonstrate a grand spirit of transforming the world”.
Where does 女娲补天 come from?
女娲补天 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 女娲补天?
神话故事，伏羲的妹妹女娲炼五色石补天。形容改造天地的雄伟气魄和大无畏的斗争精神。