大革命 (dàgémìng): a great revolution

Measure Word

一场大革命 chǎng

Meanings

1 a great revolution
2 (in Chinese contexts) usually refers to the First Revolutionary Civil War (1924–1927)
3 (also) the French Revolution (1789), commonly called 法国大革命

Characters

Examples

1789年的法国大革命彻底改变了欧洲格局。

Yī qī bā jiǔ nián de Fǎguó dàgémìng chèdǐ gǎibiàn le Ōuzhōu géjú.

The French Revolution of 1789 completely reshaped the European order.

大革命失败后，党转入了地下斗争。

Dàgémìng shībài hòu, dǎng zhuǎnrù le dìxià dòuzhēng.

After the Great Revolution failed, the Party went underground.

Tips

history

In PRC textbooks, 大革命 standalone usually means the First Revolutionary Civil War (1924–1927) — the KMT–CCP United Front against warlords, ending in the 1927 Shanghai Massacre. With a country prefix it points elsewhere: 法国大革命 (Fǎguó dàgémìng, 'French Revolution'), 文化大革命 (Wénhuà Dàgémìng, 'Cultural Revolution', 1966–1976).

mistakes

Don't read 大革命 as automatically meaning the Cultural Revolution — that's specifically 文化大革命 or 文革 (Wéngé). Bare 大革命 in Chinese sources is far more often the 1924–27 movement or the French Revolution.