长风破浪

長風破浪
chángfēng-pòlàng
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 to ride the long wind and break the waves
  2. 2 to have grand ambitions and press forward fearlessly

Examples

HSK 7-9
Niánqīngrén jiù gāi yǒu chángfēng-pòlàng de zhìqì.
Young people should have the spirit of riding the wind and cresting the waves.
HSK 7-9
Gōngsī jīnnián chángfēng-pòlàng, yèjì fān le yīfān.
The company surged ahead this year, doubling its results.

Tips

history
From the 《宋书·宗悫传》 (Book of Song, Biography of Zong Que): when his uncle Bing asked the young Zong Que about his ambitions, he answered 愿乘长风破万里浪 - 'I wish to mount the long wind and break ten thousand li of waves'. Li Bai later quoted the line in 《行路难》: 长风破浪会有时直挂云帆济沧海.
memory
Visual: a ship with sails set, slicing through massive ocean swells. 长风 = the long, sustained wind that fills the sails; 破浪 = cutting through waves. The image is forward, unstoppable motion.

Stroke Order

cháng
fēng
làng