回天

Chinese

		to circle; to go back; to turn around to circle; to go back; to turn around; to answer; to return; to revolve; (a measure word for matters or actions) a time; Islam	day; sky; heaven
trad. (回天/迴天)		回/迴	天
simp. (回天)		回	天

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): huítiān

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄊㄧㄢ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): wui⁴ tin¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: huítiān
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄊㄧㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: huéitian
    • Wade–Giles: hui²-tʻien¹
    • Yale: hwéi-tyān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: hweitian
    • Palladius: хуэйтянь (xuejtjanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xweɪ̯³⁵ tʰjɛn⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: wui⁴ tin¹
    • Yale: wùih tīn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: wui⁴ tin¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: wui⁴ tin¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /wuːi̯²¹ tʰiːn⁵⁵/

Verb

回天

1. (figuratively) to save a desperate situation

Compounds

• 回天乏術／回天乏术 (“in a desperate situation”)
• 無力迴天／无力回天 (“in a desperate situation”)

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
回	天
かい Grade: 2	てん Grade: 1
kan’on	on’yomi

Alternative spelling
廻天

Etymology

回 is a daiyōji replacing 廻.

Pronunciation

• On’yomi
• (Tokyo) かいてん [kàítéń] (Heiban – [0])
• (Tokyo) か​いてん [káꜜìtèǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ka̠itẽ̞ɴ]

Noun

回(かい)天(てん) • (kaiten) ^{←くわいてん (kwaiten)?}

1. (figuratively) changing the worsening situation for the better, turning the tide

Proper noun

回(かい)天(てん) • (Kaiten) 

1. (weaponry) Kaiten, crewed torpedoes and suicide craft used by the Imperial Japanese Navy in the final stages of World War II