百花齊放，百家爭鳴

a hundred flowers bloom, a hundred schools of thought contend (idiom); refers to the classical philosophic schools of the Warring States period 475-221 BC, but adopted for Mao's campaign of 1956

hundred / numerous / all kinds of

surname Hua

flower / blossom / CL:朵[duo3],支[zhi1],束[shu4],把[ba3],盆[pen2],簇[cu4] / fancy pattern / florid / to spend (money, time) / (coll.) lecherous / lustful

old variant of 花[hua1]

variant of 花[hua1] / flower / blossom / also pr. [wei3]

(name of states and dynasties at several different periods) / surname Qi

neat / even / level with / identical / simultaneous / all together / to even sth out

a hundred flowers bloom (idiom); let the arts have free expression

broadside / simultaneous fired cannonade

to put / to place / to release / to free / to let go / to let out / to set off (fireworks)

many schools of thought / many people or households

see 傢伙|家伙[jia1 huo5]

home / family / (polite) my (sister, uncle etc) / classifier for families or businesses / refers to the philosophical schools of pre-Han China / noun suffix for a specialist in some activity, such as a musician or revolutionary, corresponding to English -ist, -er, -ary or -ian / CL:個|个[ge4]

to strive for / to vie for / to argue or debate / deficient or lacking (dialect) / how or what (literary)

a hundred schools of thought contend (idiom); refers to the classical philosophic schools of the Warring States period 475-221 BC

to contend

to cry (of birds, animals and insects) / to make a sound / to voice (one's gratitude, grievance etc)