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力挽狂瀾

简力挽狂澜 · 繁力挽狂瀾

Mandarin · pinyin lì wǎn kuáng lán

to pull strongly against a crazy tide (idiom); fig. to try hard to save a desperate crisis

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Characters in this entry

力: lì · power, capability, influence; Kangxi radical 19
挽: wǎn · pull; pull back, draw back
狂: kuáng · insane, mad; violent; wild
瀾: Look up this written character
澜: lán · overflowing; waves, ripples

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–3–2–2 · li4 wan3 kuang2 lan2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

力挽狂瀾 · find source passages ↗ · 力挽狂澜 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

lik6 waan5 kwong4 laan4

Cantonese word readings for 力挽狂瀾. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to try hard to save a desperate crisis; to do one's utmost to save a desperate situation

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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