平地起家

to start from scratch (idiom)

surname Ping

flat / level / equal / to tie (make the same score) / to draw (score) / calm / peaceful / abbr. for 平聲|平声[ping2 sheng1]

to level the land / level ground / plain

-ly / structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct

earth / ground / field / place / land / CL:片[pian4]

to rise / to raise / to get up / to set out / to start / to appear / to launch / to initiate (action) / to draft / to establish / to get (from a depot or counter) / verb suffix, to start / starting from (a time, place, price etc) / classifier for occurrences or unpredictable events: case, instance / classifier for groups: batch, group

to start out by / to grow an enterprise beginning with / to begin one's career by

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]