乾坤

qiánkūn

noun #26,942

Meanings

1 heaven and earth; the universe
2 yin and yang; the cosmos

Characters

heaven; yang; the first I Ching hexagram

earth; yin; the second I Ching hexagram

Examples

HSK 7-9

他胸怀乾坤，志向远大。

Tā xiōnghuái qiánkūn, zhìxiàng yuǎndà.

He carries the universe in his heart and has great ambitions.

HSK 7-9

这一招扭转乾坤，改变了整个局势。

Zhè yì zhāo niǔzhuǎn qiánkūn, gǎibiàn le zhěnggè júshì.

This move reversed the situation entirely and changed the whole landscape.

Tips

culture

乾 and 坤 are the first two hexagrams of the I Ching (易经): 乾 represents Heaven and yang energy; 坤 represents Earth and yin energy. Together they symbolize the totality of existence. The phrase 扭转乾坤 (to reverse heaven and earth) means to completely turn a situation around.

Stroke Order

乾 qián

坤 kūn