開天闢地

Chinese

		open; operate (vehicle); start	day; sky; heaven	dispel; open up; refute	earth; ground; field earth; ground; field; place; land; (subor. part. adverbial); ‑ly
trad. (開天闢地/開天辟地)		開	天	闢/辟	地
simp. (开天辟地)		开	天	辟	地

Etymology

A reference to the legend of Pangu.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): kāitiānpìdì

  (Zhuyin): ㄎㄞ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄆㄧˋ ㄉㄧˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hoi¹ tin¹ pik¹ dei⁶
• Northern Min (KCR): kṳé-tíng-bī-dī

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: kāitiānpìdì
    • Zhuyin: ㄎㄞ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄆㄧˋ ㄉㄧˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: kaitianpìdì
    • Wade–Giles: kʻai¹-tʻien¹-pʻi⁴-ti⁴
    • Yale: kāi-tyān-pì-dì
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: kaitianpihdih
    • Palladius: кайтяньпиди (kajtjanʹpidi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰaɪ̯⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ pʰi⁵¹⁻⁵³ ti⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: hoi¹ tin¹ pik¹ dei⁶
    • Yale: hōi tīn pīk deih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hoi¹ tin¹ pik⁷ dei⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: hoi¹ tin¹ pig¹ déi⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɔːi̯⁵⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵ pʰɪk̚⁵ tei̯²²/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: kṳé-tíng-bī-dī
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰyɛ⁵⁴ tʰiŋ⁵⁴ pi⁵⁵ ti⁵⁵/

Idiom

開天闢地

1. creation of the world; dawn of heaven
2. (figurative) heroic; first of its kind