扬幡招魂

yáng fān zhāo hún

lit. to raise a banner to summon the soul of a dying person (idiom)

fig. to try to revive what is obsolete or dead

yáng

variant of 揚|扬[yang2]

fān

banner

zhāo

to recruit

hún

soul; spirit; immortal soul (that can be detached from the body)