天翻地覆

tiānfān-dìfù
idiom #16,120

Meanings

  1. 1 heaven and earth turning upside down (idiom)
  2. 2 complete confusion; earth-shattering change

Examples

HSK 4
Zhèxiē nián jiāxiāng fāshēng le tiānfān-dìfù de biànhuà.
Over these years, earth-shattering changes have taken place in my hometown.
HSK 5
Háizi men bǎ fángjiān nào de tiānfān-dìfù.
The children made a complete mess of the room.

Tips

memory
Picture the sky (天) flipping (翻) and the earth (地) overturning (覆) - total upheaval. Can describe either dramatic positive change or utter chaos.

Stroke Order

天 tiān
翻 fān
地 dì
覆 fù