📖 Meaning
Literally refers to the ancient Chinese myth in which ten suns appeared in the sky at the same time, scorching the earth. Metaphorically, it describes multiple disasters, rebellions, or crises erupting simultaneously, overwhelming the realm.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from ancient Chinese mythology recorded in texts such as the Huainanzi (淮南子) and the Shan Hai Jing (山海经). According to legend, the deity Di Jun (帝俊) had ten sun-children who were each supposed to take turns crossing the sky. One day all ten rose together, burning the land and causing immense suffering. The divine archer Hou Yi (后羿) was dispatched to shoot down nine of them, leaving only a single sun. Over time, the phrase came to symbolize multiple upheavals or revolts breaking out at once.
💡 Example Usage
王朝末年，十日并出，天下大乱，百姓流离失所。
In the twilight of the dynasty, calamities arose like ten suns at once; the realm fell into chaos and the people were driven from their homes.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 十日并出
- Pinyin: shí rì bìng chū
- Literal Translation: ten, suns, simultaneously, appear
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4