漂洋过海

漂洋過海
piāoyáng-guòhǎi
idiom #36,905

Meanings

  1. 1 to travel across the oceans
  2. 2 to journey far overseas

Examples

HSK 7-9
Tā piāoyáng-guòhǎi láidào Měiguó móushēng.
He sailed across the oceans to America to make a living.
HSK 7-9
Zhèxiē cíqì piāoyáng-guòhǎi láidào Ōuzhōu.
These porcelains travelled across the seas to Europe.

Tips

usage
Carries strong overtones of long, often hardship-filled journeys, used about overseas Chinese migrants, traders along the maritime Silk Road, and goods like tea or porcelain reaching distant markets. A variant 飘洋过海 exists but 漂洋过海 is more common today.

In Pop Culture

漂洋过海来看 《 Piāoyángguòhǎi Láikàn Nǐ 》
Crossing the Sea to See You
iconic 1991 Mandopop ballad by Li Zongsheng/Sandy Lam (李宗盛/林忆莲), revived by Liu Mingxiang (刘明湘) on Hunan TV's I Am a Singer in 2014

Stroke Order

piāo
yáng
guò
hǎi