📖 Meaning
To stage a comeback after a defeat; to rally one's forces and return with renewed strength. It describes a person or group that, having suffered a setback or failure, regroups and returns more powerful than before.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Tang dynasty poet Du Mu's poem "Written on the Black River Pavilion" (题乌江亭). The poem reflects on the historical figure Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, who was defeated by Liu Bang at the Battle of Gaixia and chose to take his own life at the Wu River rather than retreat. Du Mu mused that the talented young men of Jiangdong could have been rallied, and that Xiang Yu sweeping back with fresh forces was not beyond imagination. The phrase thus immortalizes the idea that defeat need not be final.
💡 Example Usage
这次失败后，他决心卷土重来。
After this defeat, he is determined to stage a comeback.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 卷土重来
- Pinyin: juǎn tǔ chóng lái
- Literal Translation: sweep up dust, come again
- Category: Recovery
- Characters: 4