CHENGYU
东山再起(dōng shān zài qǐ)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral
- Source:
- 《晋书·谢安传》
MEANING
- Literal
- to rise again from the East Mountain
- Figurative meaning
- to make a comeback after failure or retirement
ORIGIN STORY
The Jin statesman Xie An retired to East Mountain and refused every office. Only in his forties, when the state was in crisis, did he come down from the mountain to serve — and saved the dynasty.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to stage a comeback”
EXAMPLES
他失败后没有放弃，两年后东山再起。Tā shībài hòu méiyǒu fàngqì, liǎng nián hòu dōng shān zài qǐ.HSK6
He did not give up after failure and rose again from East Mountain two years later.
这家公司破产后又东山再起，成了行业巨头。Zhè jiā gōngsī pòchǎn hòu yòu dōng shān zài qǐ, chéng le hángyè jùtóu.HSK6
The company rose again after bankruptcy and became an industry giant.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It is a comeback after decline — not a first rise or steady progress.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01