开天辟地

kāi tiān pì dì

  • Meaning

    Literal

    Open up the heavens and the earth

    Usage

    This is used to indicate that something is unprecedented/the first of its kind

  • Connotation

    Neutral

  • Usage Examples

    改革开放是开天辟地的一件大事 | Gǎigékāifàng shì kāitiānpìdì de yī jiàn dàshì
    The Open-Up Reform was an unprecedented, history-making policy
    [Source]

    中国共产党的诞生,这是开天辟地的大事 | Zhōngguó gòngchǎndǎng de dànshēng, zhè shì kāitiānpìdì de dàshì
    The birth of the Chinese Communist Party was an unprecedented event
    [Source]

  • Equivalents

    English

    Unprecedented

    Chinese

    None

  • Entry Notes

    None

  • Origin

    《三五历纪》(Sàn Wǔ Lì Jì), a work on Chinese legendary history by 徐整 (Xú Zhěng) during the Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280). Most of the book has been lost to history, though some sections are recorded in other Chinese works

  • Story

    According to the Chinese mythology, the universe before its creation was like a giant egg. Within that egg slept a giant named 盘古 (Pán Gǔ). After 18,000 years of sound sleep, 盘古 suddenly woke up and found himself surrounded by complete darkness. He slashed out towards the darkness with his palms, and within the egg of the universe, a small crack formed and a beam of light came through.

    At this, 盘古 realized that he had a hatchet and chisel by his side. He lifted them and fiercely smashed at the darkness, and with another crack, the giant egg burst open. Light-weight and clear items turned blue and came to form the heavens; heavier items sank down and came to form the earth.

    盘古 worried that the universe would go back to its original shape, and so he used his hands to hold up the heavens and dug into the ground with his feet. He then made himself grow three 丈 (zhàng, or about 10 meters) every single day, so that the heavens would rise and the earth would sink by the same amount.

    After millions of years of this monumental effort, the heavens would get no higher, the earth would sink no lower, and 盘古 was exhausted and on the verge of death. He knew that the universe would no longer return to its original state, and so he was ready to move on. When he died, his body then formed life on earth. His breath became the wind and clouds, his voice thunder, his left eye the sun, his right eye the moon, and his hair became the stars. His blood became rivers, his veins became roads, and his bones became minerals beneath the earth. Finally, his skin and body hair became the grass, his sweat became dew, and his muscle became arable land.

  • Citations and Helpful Resources

    • 汉语成语小词典 (hànyǔ chéngyǔ xiǎo cídiǎn)
    • 现代汉语规范词典 (xiàndài hànyǔ guīfàn cídiǎn)
    • 多功能成语词典 (duō gōngnéng chéngyǔ cídiǎn)
    • 汉语大词典 (hànyǔ dà cídiǎn)
    • ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary
    • Pleco Basic Chinese-English Dictionary
    • 趣历史[x]
    • 汉语大词典[x]
    • 全故事网[x]
    • 故事大全网[x]
    • 故事365[x]