回天

huítiān

verb

Meanings

1 to reverse a hopeless situation
2 to turn the tide

Characters

Examples

HSK 4

比赛只剩一分钟，他也无法回天了。

Bǐsài zhǐ shèng yì fēnzhōng, tā yě wúfǎ huítiān le.

With one minute left in the match, even he could not turn it around.

HSK 5

大家都希望这位老医生能有回天之力，救回孩子的命。

Dàjiā dōu xīwàng zhè wèi lǎo yīshēng néng yǒu huítiān zhī lì, jiùhuí háizi de mìng.

Everyone hoped the old doctor could work a miracle and save the child's life.

Tips

usage

回天 rarely stands alone. It lives in 回天乏术 (nothing can save it), 无力回天 (powerless to turn it around) and 回天之力 (the strength to turn back heaven, the power to work a miracle). It began as praise for the Tang minister 张玄素, whose arguments could change the emperor's mind.

Stroke Order

回 huí

天 tiān