(gé mìng) - revolution, revolutionary in Mandarin
gémìngTraditional: 革命
Translation
revolution, revolutionary
Word origin
From the classical phrase in the Book of Changes meaning to strip away the mandate, built on 革 (gé, to strip, to change) and 命 (mìng, the mandate of heaven). In the nineteenth century it was reused, via Japanese, to translate the European word revolution.
- Origin
- classical Chinese, reborrowed via Japanese
- Root
- 革 (gé, to strip away) + 命 (mìng, mandate)
Stroke order
革
命
Examples
。
This revolution changed the whole country.
。
He took part in the revolution when he was young.
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The Industrial Revolution began in Britain.
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This technology is a genuine revolution.
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The history book has a great deal to say about the revolution.
革命 (gé mìng) is revolution: the political kind above all, but also the metaphorical one in 工业革命 for the Industrial Revolution or 技术革命 for a technological upheaval.
It works as a noun, as an attributive in 革命精神 for revolutionary spirit, and as a verb-object pair that can be split, which is how you get 革他的命 for stripping somebody of power.
The word is not politically neutral in mainland Chinese, where a century of official history sits behind it. Reaching for it as a casual compliment, the way English says a revolution in coffee, will land oddly in some rooms. 变化 or 改变 is the safe word for ordinary change.
Where this fits
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革命: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "革命" (revolution, revolutionary): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 51.