p8nda
p8nda BETA
Home Dictionary Discord

力拔山兮气盖世

力拔山兮氣蓋世
lìbáshānxīqìgàishì
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 strength that could uproot mountains, spirit that covered the age
  2. 2 (of Xiang Yu) heroic might unmatched in the world
  3. 3 (lit.) strength pulling up mountains, spirit covering the age

Examples

项羽力拔山兮气盖世，却最终败于刘邦。
Xiàng Yǔ lì bá shān xī qì gài shì, què zuìzhōng bài yú Liú Bāng.
Xiang Yu 'could uproot mountains, his spirit covered the age' — yet in the end he lost to Liu Bang.
这位运动员有力拔山兮气盖世的气概。
Zhè wèi yùndòngyuán yǒu lì bá shān xī qì gài shì de qìgài.
This athlete has the heroic bearing of 'mountain-lifting strength, world-covering spirit.'

Tips

history
From 项羽《垓下歌》(Xiang Yu, 202 BCE), sung at his final encirclement at Gaixia before his suicide: 力拔山兮气盖世，时不利兮骓不逝。骓不逝兮可奈何，虞兮虞兮奈若何 (Strength to uproot mountains, spirit to cover the age — but the times are against me, my horse Zhui will not go. Zhui won't move — what can I do? Yu, oh Yu, what shall I do with you?). 虞 = Consort Yu (Yu Ji), who killed herself before the breakout. The Ba Wang Bie Ji (霸王别姬) scene.
usage
兮 xī is the classical Chu-style rhythmic particle (untranslated, like a sigh). The first two lines of 垓下歌 are the single most-quoted classical snippet about heroic defeat.

Stroke Order

力 lì
拔 bá
山 shān
兮 xī
气 qì
盖 gài
世 shì