咸鱼翻身

鹹魚翻身

xiányúfānshēn

idiom

Meanings

1 the salted fish flips over (idiom)
2 an unexpected turn of fortune
3 a comeback from rock bottom

Characters

flip, turn over

Examples

他失业三年后终于咸鱼翻身，开了自己的公司。

Tā shīyè sān nián hòu zhōngyú xiányúfānshēn, kāi le zìjǐ de gōngsī.

After three years unemployed, he finally made his comeback and opened his own company.

这部老电影最近咸鱼翻身，重新走红。

Zhè bù lǎo diànyǐng zuìjìn xiányúfānshēn, chóngxīn zǒuhóng.

This old film has had an unexpected revival and become popular again.

Tips

memory

The Cantonese-origin metaphor: a 咸鱼 (salted fish) is dead and dried — the ultimate hopeless object. If even a salted fish can flip over, anyone can stage a comeback. The phrase 'I'm a salted fish' (我是一条咸鱼) became internet slang in the 2010s for 'I have no ambition', making 咸鱼翻身 a perfect comeback retort.

Stroke Order

咸 xián

鱼 yú

翻 fān

身 shēn