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卷土重来

juǎn tǔ chóng láidictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. to return in a swirl of dust (idiom) / fig. to regroup and come back even stronger / to make a comeback
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-515f3bf45b19b848. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

卷土重來 卷土重来 [juan3 tu3 chong2 lai2] /lit. to return in a swirl of dust (idiom)/fig. to regroup and come back even stronger/to make a comeback/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 卷土重來

  • 卷
    juǎn

    to roll up / (fig.) to sweep up / to engulf / to drag into (a situation) / (slang) to compete to an unhealthy degree / hypercompetitive / a roll / classifier for small rolled-up things (wad of paper money, movie reel etc) / to sweep up / to carry along / classifier for rolls, spools etc

    juàn

    scroll / book / volume / chapter / examination paper / classifier for books, paintings: volume, scroll

  • 土
    tǔ

    earth / dust / clay / local / indigenous / crude opium / unsophisticated / one of the eight categories of ancient musical instruments 八音[bā yīn]

    Tǔ

    surname Tu / Tu ethnic group

  • 重
    chóng

    to repeat / repetition / again / re- / classifier: layer

    zhòng

    heavy / serious / to attach importance to

  • 来
    lái

    to come / (used as a substitute for a more specific verb) / hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[huí lai]) / ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zì gǔ yǐ lái]) / for the past (amount of time) / (prefix) the coming ... / the next ... (as in 來世|来世[lái shì]) / (between two verbs) in order to / (after a round number) approximately / (used after 得[dé] to indicate possibility, as in 談得來|谈得来[tán de lái], or after 不[bù] to indicate impossibility, as in 吃不來|吃不来[chī bu lái])

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.