力挽狂澜

力挽狂瀾
lìwǎn-kuánglán
idiom #26,165

Meanings

  1. 1 to pull strongly against a raging tide
  2. 2 to stem the tide
  3. 3 to save a desperate situation through great effort

Examples

HSK 6
Méiyǒu rén néng lìwǎn-kuánglán, zǔzhǐ zhè chǎng wēijī.
No one could turn the tide and stop this crisis.
HSK 7-9
Wēijí shíkè, tā lìwǎn-kuánglán, zhěngjiù le gōngsī.
At the critical moment, he stemmed the tide and saved the company.

Tips

memory
(strength) + (pull back) + 狂澜 (raging waves) - imagine physically pulling against a violent ocean current. Used figuratively for heroic efforts to reverse a crisis.
history
The image comes from Han Yu's Tang-dynasty essay 《进学解》, which praises holding back the hundred rivers and turning the raging waves once they have already toppled.

Stroke Order

wǎn
kuáng
lán