脱胎换骨

脫胎換骨

tuōtāihuàngǔ

idiom #16,315

Meanings

1 to be reborn
2 to turn over a new leaf
3 to undergo a complete transformation

Characters

to shed; to take off

fetus; embryo; body

to exchange; to change

Examples

他出狱后脱胎换骨，变成了一个好人。

Tā chūyù hòu tuōtāihuàngǔ, biànchéng le yī gè hǎorén.

After getting out of prison, he was completely transformed and became a good person.

这座城市经过改造后脱胎换骨。

Zhè zuò chéngshì jīngguò gǎizào hòu tuōtāihuàngǔ.

This city was completely transformed after renovation.

Tips

history

Originally a Daoist concept: shedding one's mortal body (脱胎) and exchanging one's bones (换骨) to achieve immortality. Now used metaphorically for any radical personal or structural transformation.

Stroke Order

脱 tuō

胎 tāi

换 huàn

骨 gǔ