長風破浪

Chinese

		strong winds	to break the waves; to sail in the waves
trad. (長風破浪)		長風	破浪
simp. (长风破浪)		长风	破浪

Etymology

From Book of Song by 沈約 (Shen Yue):

愨年少時，炳問其志，愨曰：「願乘長風破萬里浪。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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悫年少时，炳问其志，悫曰：「愿乘长风破万里浪。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Shen Yue, Book of Song, 492-493 CE

Què niánshào shí, bǐng wèn qí zhì, què yuē: “Yuàn chéng chángfēng pò wànlǐ làng.” [Pinyin]

When Zong Que was young, his uncle Zong Bing asked him his ambitions, to which he replied, "I would mount a long wind and break ten thousand lis of waves."

From The Hard Road by 李白 (Li Bai):

長風破浪會有時，直掛雲帆濟滄海。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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长风破浪会有时，直挂云帆济沧海。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: 774, 李白, 《行路難》其一

Chángfēngpòlàng huì yǒu shí, zhí guà yúnfān jì cānghǎi. [Pinyin]

I will mount a long wind some day and break the heavy waves, and set my cloudy sail straight and bridge the deep, deep sea.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): chángfēngpòlàng

  (Zhuyin): ㄔㄤˊ ㄈㄥ ㄆㄛˋ ㄌㄤˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): coeng⁴ fung¹ po³ long⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: chángfēngpòlàng
    • Zhuyin: ㄔㄤˊ ㄈㄥ ㄆㄛˋ ㄌㄤˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: chángfongpòlàng
    • Wade–Giles: chʻang²-fêng¹-pʻo⁴-lang⁴
    • Yale: cháng-fēng-pwò-làng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: charngfengpohlanq
    • Palladius: чанфэнполан (čanfɛnpolan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʰɑŋ³⁵ fɤŋ⁵⁵ pʰu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ lɑŋ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: coeng⁴ fung¹ po³ long⁶
    • Yale: chèuhng fūng po lohng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsoeng⁴ fung¹ po³ long⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: cêng⁴ fung¹ po³ long⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰœːŋ²¹ fʊŋ⁵⁵ pʰɔː³³ lɔːŋ²²/

Idiom

長風破浪

1. to have great aspirations and courageously pursue them

Synonyms

• 乘風破浪／乘风破浪 (chéngfēngpòlàng)