大放异彩 (dà fàng yì cǎi) — to shine brilliantly; to yield unusually brilliant results; to show extraordinary talent

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

放 uses 方 for its sound and 攵, a hand/action part, to mark an action of release.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 異; 异 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 異 depicts a person with a mask 田 over the face, so the face looks different. The simplified 异 is a later shorthand.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

彩 puts 采, which gives the sound, next to 彡, the three-stroke mark that carries the meaning.