What does it Mean to ‘Move Heaven and Earth’?
To move heaven and earth means —
- to put tremendous effort into doing something;
- to do whatever is necessary;
- to do everything you can to make it happen.
This is obviously a hyperbolic expression for a person making a huge effort.
The exact origin of this phrase has not been traced, although some people say that Greek philosopher Archimedes used it first. Archimedes had said that “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the earth”.
However, it seems unlikely that he was the source of this phrase because he died about two thousand years ago before this phrase was first used in print. No other reliable source has been traced yet.
Let’s see an example —
“This is my last attempt, so I will move heaven and earth to crack this exam.”
I will do everything I can to pass this exam.
I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy, or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.
Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.
