Chinese word

革命

Pronunciation

Pinyingé mìng

Meaning

  • nounrevolution

Example

革命推翻了旧政府。gé mìng tuī fān le jiù zhèng fǔ

The revolution overthrew the old government.

Illustration for 革命 (revolution)

More examples

新思想推动了年轻人加入革命。xīn sī xiǎng tuī dòng le nián qīng rén jiā rù gé mìng

New ideas prompted young people to join the revolution.

Core concept

An old public order gives way to a fundamentally new order through change on a society-wide scale.

Common phrases

  • 武装革命wǔ zhuāng gé mìng

    armed revolution

  • 革命领袖gé mìng lǐng xiù

    revolutionary leader

  • 革命斗争gé mìng dòu zhēng

    revolutionary struggle

Similar words

改革gǎi gé: The revision of institutions, laws, or ways of doing things without replacing the whole system.
变革biàn gé: A substantial transformation of established structures or beliefs over time.
起义qǐ yì: A forceful uprising in which a group takes up arms against its rulers.

Definition in Chinese

指以推翻或根本改造现有政治、社会体制，从而建立新秩序的重大社会变动zhǐ yǐ tuī fān huò gēn běn gǎi zào xiàn yǒu zhèng zhì shè huì tǐ zhì cóng ér jiàn lì xīn zhì xù de zhòng dà shè huì biàn dòng

Word origin

革命 (gémìng, "revolution") literally suggests changing a mandate: 革 (gé, "to change") is paired with 命 (mìng, "mandate"), a compact image of replacing a dynasty and its governing order.

Usage tips

  • The word carries a weighty, historical tone in ordinary conversation, so it fits a profound transformation better than a routine reform or a small change.

Opposites

Related words

  • 革命党gé mìng dǎngrevolutionary partynoun
  • 革命化gé mìng huàrevolutionizeverb

Word lists with this word