CHENGYU
卷土重来(juǎn tǔ chóng lái)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral, sometimes negative
- Source:
- 唐·杜牧《题乌江亭》
MEANING
- Literal
- to roll the dust and return
- Figurative meaning
- to return in force after defeat
ORIGIN STORY
In his poem on the Wu River, Du Mu imagined the defeated warlord Xiang Yu crossing the river to rally again: "The young men of Jiangdong are many and brave — who says he could not roll up the dust and return?"
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to come back with a vengeance”
EXAMPLES
对手上赛季输了，今年卷土重来。Duìshǒu shàng sàijì shū le, jīnnián juǎn tǔ chóng lái.HSK6
Our rivals lost last season and are rolling back in force this year.
病毒卷土重来，大家要小心防护。Bìngdú juǎn tǔ chóng lái, dàjiā yào xiǎoxīn fánghù.HSK6
The virus has returned with a vengeance; everyone must take care.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Note the reading: 卷 is juǎn (to roll) and 重 is chóng (again).
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01