反败为胜

反敗為勝

fǎnbàiwéishèng

idiom #27,658

Meanings

1 to turn defeat into victory
2 to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat
3 to come from behind and win

Characters

to reverse; to turn around; against

defeat; to fail; to lose

to become; to be (transformation marker)

victory; to win; to excel

Examples

下半场他们反败为胜，以3比2赢得了比赛。

Xià bànchǎng tāmen fǎnbài wéishèng, yǐ sān bǐ èr yíngdé le bǐsài.

In the second half they turned it around and won 3-2.

她凭借顽强的意志，最终反败为胜。

Tā píngjiè wánqiáng de yìzhì, zuìzhōng fǎnbài wéishèng.

With sheer willpower, she ultimately turned the tables and won.

Tips

usage

反败为胜 is commonly used in sports commentary, business narratives, and stories of overcoming adversity. It always implies a dramatic reversal — things looked bad, then turned around. The similar phrase 转败为胜 is interchangeable.

Stroke Order

反 fǎn

败 bài

为 wèi

胜 shèng