洪荒之力

What does 洪荒之力 mean?

The phrase means the tank is empty because you poured everything out. For everyday use it covers small heroics: the all-nighter that saved a deadline, the sprint to catch the last train. For athletes it is literal. What made this version stick was the delivery: Fu Yuanhui, barely out of the pool, eyes wide, gasping and grinning, reported her power level like a character in a game rather than a medal prospect.

Where does 洪荒之力 come from?

The words themselves are older than the meme. 洪荒之力 was the name of an ultimate force in Chinese fantasy, familiar from novels and especially the 2015 TV hit The Journey of Flower (《花千骨》). It became a national catchphrase on 2016-08-08 when swimmer Fu Yuanhui, fresh from her 100m backstroke semifinal at the Rio Olympics, told CCTV that she had already spent her 洪荒之力. The New York Times' Chinese-language site profiled her on 2016-08-12, and CCTV News was still riding the phrase at the end of that month. She went on to take bronze in the final.

How to use 洪荒之力

• 为了赶上末班地铁，我跑出了洪荒之力，还是在闸机前看着它关门。
  Wèile gǎnshàng mòbān dìtiě, wǒ pǎo chū le hónghuāng zhī lì, háishì zài zhájī qián kànzhe tā guānmén.
  I summoned all my prehistoric power to catch the last subway, and still watched the gates close in front of me.
• 期末周连熬四天，室友问我还有没有状态，我说：早就没有洪荒之力了。
  Qīmò zhōu lián áo sì tiān, shìyǒu wèn wǒ hái yǒu méiyǒu zhuàngtài, wǒ shuō: zǎo jiù méiyǒu hónghuāng zhī lì le.
  Four nights straight during finals week. When my roommate asked if I had anything left, I said my prehistoric power ran out days ago.