此起彼伏

• Pinyin: cǐ qǐ bǐ fú
• Hanzi breakdown: 此 = this; 起 = rise; 彼 = that; 伏 = fall/lie down

Meaning

One after another; in waves; rising and falling in succession. Describes things occurring continuously one after another, like waves.

A vivid idiom depicting continuous, overlapping occurrences. Used for sounds (applause, cries), events (incidents, waves of activity), or phenomena happening in succession without pause.

Examples

1. 观众的掌声此起彼伏，演员们谢幕了三次才退场。 The audience's applause rose and fell in waves; the performers had to take three curtain calls before leaving.
2. 工地上机器的轰鸣声此起彼伏，从早到晚没停过。 The roar of machinery at the construction site continued in waves from morning to night without stopping.
3. 这几年创业浪潮此起彼伏，新公司如雨后春笋般涌现。 Waves of entrepreneurship have surged one after another in recent years, with new companies springing up like mushrooms.

Usage Guide

Context: descriptive, events, sounds

Tone: vivid

Do Say

• 喝彩声此起彼伏。(Cheers rose one after another.)
• 各种丑闻此起彼伏地被曝光。(Various scandals were exposed one after another.)

Don't Say

• 我的心情此起彼伏地好 (The idiom describes alternating phenomena, not sustained states — don't use it for constant moods)

Origin & History

Classical idiom formed from 此起 (this rises) + 彼伏 (that falls). Depicts an alternating pattern like ocean waves, one cresting as another recedes.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal