改弦更張
Chinese
to change; to alter; to transform to change; to alter; to transform; to correct | bow string; string of mus. instr. | to change; more; even more to change; more; even more; further; still; still more | (a measure word); surname; open up | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
trad. (改弦更張) | 改 | 弦 | 更 | 張 | |
simp. (改弦更张) | 改 | 弦 | 更 | 张 | |
Literally: “to re-tune the strings or re-string the instrument”. |
Etymology
Originally, a metaphor with string instruments: 改弦 refers to the re-application of tuning, while 更張 means re-stringing the instrument altogether. The latter component has been attested as late as the Book of Han in a passage quoting verbatim from a letter by Dong Zhongshu to the Emperor Wu of Han [104 BCE]. The combined phrase in various forms was already familiar by the Jin era [c. 3rd century], for example, as 改絃易張 in the Records of the Three Kingdoms.
Pronunciation
Idiom
改弦更張
- to reform or revamp (a system or policy)
Synonyms
- 改弦易轍/改弦易辙 (gǎixiányìzhé)