<p>Beside the literal meaning, 女媧補天 can be cited as an example of &quot;ultimate benevolence and heroic feat&quot;</p>
<p>Currently, no human feat can be compared to 女媧補天, which is second only to 盤古開天 (creation of heaven and earth) and greater than even 大禹治水</p>
<p>The following would be a fitting comparison if it happened:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>古有女媧補天，今有 (insert someone's name) 阻止全球暖化</p>
<p>In ancient time, Goddess Nüwa mended the sky ; In the present, we have (insert someone's name) stops the global warming</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-21T03:29:53.033Z
2020-04-21T03:41:38.540Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Tang Ho
<p><a href="https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%A5%B3%E5%A8%B2%E8%A1%A5%E5%A4%A9/230?fr=aladdin" rel="nofollow noreferrer">女娲补天</a> refers to an ancient Chinese myth, and literally means something like "Goddess Nüwa mends the sky".  I'd be interested in creating a CC-CEDICT definition for it, so it'll need the syntax:</p>

<pre><code>女媧補天 女娲补天 [Nu:3 wa1 bu3 tian1] /???/
</code></pre>

<p>But I'm not sure if it has significance beyond its literal meaning, which should also be included.</p>

<p><strong>Question</strong>: What is the significance of 女娲补天 beyond its literal meaning "Nüwa mends the sky"?</p>

<p>I didn't completely check the Baidu Baike article as it's rather long.  <a href="http://chinesegarden101.blogspot.com/2011/02/nv-wa-mends-sky.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Chinese Garden</a> didn't indicate any kind of moral to the story.</p>

<hr>

<p>PS: <a href="https://cc-cedict.org/editor/editor.php" rel="nofollow noreferrer">CC-CEDICT definitions</a> need to be high-quality (they're used in dictionaries all over the world).  The whole dictionary is free to download.  Submissions are <a href="https://cc-cedict.org/editor/editor.php?handler=ListChanges" rel="nofollow noreferrer">reviewed</a> prior to modifying the database.  They have a <a href="https://cc-cedict.org/editor/editor.php?popup=1&amp;handler=ContributorManual" rel="nofollow noreferrer">specific syntax</a>, e.g.: <code>中國 中国 [Zhong1 guo2] /China/Middle Kingdom/</code></p>

<idioms><meaning>
What is the significance of 女娲补天 beyond its literal meaning "Nüwa mends the sky"?
# What is the significance of 女娲补天 beyond its literal meaning "Nüwa mends the sky"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-04-21)

[女娲补天](https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%A5%B3%E5%A8%B2%E8%A1%A5%E5%A4%A9/230?fr=aladdin) refers to an ancient Chinese myth, and literally means something like "Goddess Nüwa mends the sky". I'd be interested in creating a CC-CEDICT definition for it, so it'll need the syntax:

```
女媧補天 女娲补天 [Nu:3 wa1 bu3 tian1] /???/

```

But I'm not sure if it has significance beyond its literal meaning, which should also be included.

**Question**: What is the significance of 女娲补天 beyond its literal meaning "Nüwa mends the sky"?

I didn't completely check the Baidu Baike article as it's rather long. [Chinese Garden](http://chinesegarden101.blogspot.com/2011/02/nv-wa-mends-sky.html) didn't indicate any kind of moral to the story.

---

PS: [CC-CEDICT definitions](https://cc-cedict.org/editor/editor.php) need to be high-quality (they're used in dictionaries all over the world). The whole dictionary is free to download. Submissions are [reviewed](https://cc-cedict.org/editor/editor.php?handler=ListChanges) prior to modifying the database. They have a [specific syntax](https://cc-cedict.org/editor/editor.php?popup=1&handler=ContributorManual), e.g.: `中國 中国 [Zhong1 guo2] /China/Middle Kingdom/`

**Tags:** idioms, meaning


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-04-21. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

Beside the literal meaning, 女媧補天 can be cited as an example of "ultimate benevolence and heroic feat"

Currently, no human feat can be compared to 女媧補天, which is second only to 盤古開天 (creation of heaven and earth) and greater than even 大禹治水

The following would be a fitting comparison if it happened:

> 古有女媧補天，今有 (insert someone's name) 阻止全球暖化
>
> In ancient time, Goddess Nüwa mended the sky ; In the present, we have (insert someone's name) stops the global warming


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