📖 Meaning
Mountains crumble and the earth splits open. It is used to describe an immensely loud, resounding noise or a catastrophic upheaval of nature. The phrase conveys a sense of overwhelming force and destruction.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Book of Song: Treatise on the Five Elements' (《宋书·五行志》), which records that in the sixth month a great thunderclap struck Shouchun, causing mountains to collapse and the earth to split, with entire families perishing; the same devastation occurred in Shangyong Commandery. The phrase vividly captures the destructive power of natural disasters in ancient China. It was later employed in classical literature, such as Feng Menglong's 'Stories to Caution the World' (《警世通言》), to depict the thunderous roar of an incoming tidal wave.
💡 Example Usage
那声巨响如山崩地坼，震得整座房屋都在颤抖。
That tremendous crash was like mountains collapsing and the earth splitting, making the entire house tremble.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 山崩地坼
- Pinyin: shān bēng dì chè
- Literal Translation: mountains collapse, earth splits
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4