垂天翼

chuítiānyì
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 sky-reaching wings
  2. 2 soaring ambition
  3. 3 a metaphor for lofty aspirations

Examples

HSK 7-9
Niánqīngrén yīngdāng yǒu chuítiānyì zhī zhì.
Young people should have aspirations as vast as sky-spanning wings.
HSK 7-9
Tā xiōnghuái chuítiānyì, jué bù mǎnzú yú yǎnqián de xiǎo chéngjiù.
He has soaring ambitions and refuses to settle for the small successes in front of him.

Tips

history
From 《庄子·逍遥游》, which describes the giant Peng bird whose wings hang down like clouds from the sky (其翼若垂天之云). Invoking 垂天翼 signals classical, poetic register.

Stroke Order

chuí
tiān