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排山倒海

Mandarin · pinyin pái shān dǎo hǎi

lit. to topple the mountains and overturn the seas (idiom); earth-shattering
fig. gigantic
of spectacular significance

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Characters in this entry

排: pái · row, rank, line
山: shān · mountain, hill, peak
倒: dào · fall over; lie down; take turns
海: hǎi · sea, ocean; maritime

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

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Mandarin tones

2–1–3–3 · pai2 shan1 dao3 hai3

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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.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

paai4 saan1 dou2 hoi2

Cantonese word readings for 排山倒海. 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) overwhelming; with great power and influence

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

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