Tāmen nǔlì bōluànfǎnzhèng, qīngchú duōnián de jī bì.
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.
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Formal and political — common in official speeches, editorials, and history textbooks (notably describing post-Cultural-Revolution reforms). Avoid in casual conversation.
