Chinese dictionary
- 1
v.turn (the body) over
他翻身上马，坐在马鞍上。
He swung himself onto the horse and into the saddle.
在吊床上翻身很难。
It is difficult to turn over in a hammock.
孩子还太小，不能自己翻身。
The child is too young to turn himself over.
- 2
v.metastand up; be liberated; emancipate oneself from oppression and exploitation; free/liberate oneself
人民翻身作主。
People stand up and be master of their own.
农奴翻身把歌唱。
The serf turned over and sang.
被压迫的人民彻底翻身了。
The oppressed people have completely turned over.
synonym
- 3
v.metadeliver oneself from backwardness or a predicament; shake off the backwardness
唯有改革，生产才能翻身。
Only reform can lead to a turn-around of production.
打造纸工业翻身仗
work hard to bring about an upswing in the paper industry
只有进行改革，我们厂的生产才能翻身。
Our factory needs an overhaul if it is to become more productive.
- 4
v.dialturn around/back
等他翻身看时，她已经不见了。
When he turned around, she was already gone.
她翻身下了床。
She leapt out of bed.
他翻身睡着了。
He turned over and fell asleep.
Word usage
- Separable word"翻" and "身" can be combined as one word, or be used separately with other elements inserted.
他在床上不停地翻着身。
He kept turning over in his bed.
改革开放政策使生产翻了身。
The policy of reform and opening-up led to a turn-around of production.
不努力，就永远也翻不了身了。
If you don't work hard, you will never stand up.