拨乱反正

撥亂反正

bōluànfǎnzhèng

idiom #32,734

Meanings

1 to bring order out of chaos
2 to restore things to their proper state
3 to set right what had gone wrong

Characters

to set aside; to push away

chaos; disorder

to return (to); reverse

correct; proper

Examples

新政府上台后立即着手拨乱反正。

Xīn zhèngfǔ shàngtái hòu lìjí zhuóshǒu bō luàn fǎn zhèng.

After taking office, the new government immediately set about restoring order.

这次改革旨在拨乱反正,恢复公司的正常运营。

Zhè cì gǎigé zhǐ zài bō luàn fǎn zhèng, huīfù gōngsī de zhèngcháng yùnyíng.

This reform aims to set things right and restore the company's normal operations.

他们努力拨乱反正,清除多年的积弊。

Tāmen nǔlì bō luàn fǎn zhèng, qīngchú duō nián de jībì.

They worked hard to put things right and clear away years of accumulated problems.

Tips

history

From 《公羊传·哀公十四年》: '拨乱世,反诸正' — 'set a disordered age back to rightness'. The Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals praises Confucius for this ambition.

register

Formal and political — common in official speeches, editorials, and history textbooks (notably describing post-Cultural-Revolution reforms). Avoid in casual conversation.

Stroke Order

拨 bō

乱 luàn

反 fǎn

正 zhèng