死灰复燃 Dead ashes rekindle
Explanation
比喻已经消灭了的坏人、坏事又重新活动起来。
It is used to describe evil forces that have already been eliminated are active again.
Origin Story
西汉景帝年间，梁孝王刘武的门客韩安国因罪入狱，狱卒田甲经常欺辱他。韩安国愤然说道：“死灰难道就不会重新燃烧吗？”田甲轻蔑地回应：“就让你撒泡尿浇灭它！”然而，不久后，韩安国被释放，并官复原职，甚至官位更高。田甲顿时吓得赤身裸体，向韩安国求饶，最终韩安国并没有报复他。这个故事体现了即使暂时失败，只要机会合适，仍有可能东山再起，也告诫人们不要轻易小瞧任何人。
During the reign of Emperor Jingdi of the Western Han Dynasty, Han Anguo, a retainer of King Liu Wu of Liang, was imprisoned for a crime. The jailer, Tian Jia, frequently bullied him. Han Anguo angrily said, "Can dead ashes not re-ignite?" Tian Jia responded scornfully, "Let me just pee on it to extinguish it!" However, shortly thereafter, Han Anguo was released and reinstated to his post, even achieving a higher position. Tian Jia was immediately terrified, begging Han Anguo for mercy naked, and ultimately Han Anguo did not retaliate. This story illustrates that even with temporary defeat, the possibility of resurgence remains given the right opportunity; it also cautions against underestimating anyone.
Usage
用作谓语、宾语；比喻已经消失了的恶势力又重新活动起来。
Used as predicate or object; it means that evil forces that have already disappeared reappear.
Examples
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他以为事情已经过去了，没想到又死灰复燃了。
ta yiwei shiqing yijing guoqile, meixiangdao you sihui furanyile.
He thought that the matter was over, but unexpectedly it revived again.
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这场运动一度沉寂，但现在又死灰复燃了。
zhe chang yundong yidu chenji, dan xianzai you sihui furanyile
This movement once subsided, but now it is reviving again.