Definition
席卷 literally means 'to roll up a mat' (席 = mat, 卷 = to roll), but it's almost always used figuratively to describe something that sweeps across an entire area or consumes everything, like a storm, crisis, or trend. The literal sense of 'packing one's belongings' (rolling up a mat to leave) is less common but still used. Think of it as a vivid verb for total, sweeping coverage.
v.
(figurative) to sweep acrossengulftake everything(literal) to roll up and take awaypack one's belongings
Examples
- 席卷，。Jīnróng wēijī xí juǎn quánqiú, hěn duō guójiā jīngjì dōu shòudào le yǐngxiǎng.The financial crisis swept across the globe, and many countries' economies were affected.
- 席卷。Yì chǎng lóngjuǎnfēng xí juǎn le zhěng gè xiǎozhèn.A tornado engulfed the entire town.
- 席卷。Tā cōngcōng xí juǎn le xíngli jiù chūfā le.He hastily packed his bags and set off.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.