广 (guǎng) — (adjective) wide, broad, extensive (in scope or range); (adjective) numerous, widespread
Definition
广 (guǎng) is mainly a bound morpheme meaning 'wide, broad, extensive'. It rarely stands alone as a predicate — learners will mostly meet it inside compounds like 广泛, 广大, 广阔. Compare 普遍 ('common, widespread') and 宽 ('wide', often physical).
adjective
widebroadextensive (in scope or range)numerouswidespread
Examples
- 广。Zhè ge wǎng zhàn de xìn xī fàn wéi hěn guǎng.The scope of information on this website is broad.
- 广。Tā de xìng qù ài hào hěn guǎng.His interests and hobbies are wide-ranging.
- 广。Zhè zhǒng zhí wù zài zhōng guó fēn bù hěn guǎng.This type of plant is widely distributed in China.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 廣; 广 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
黃
黃huáng廣guǎng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 廣 combines 广 (meaning part) with 黃 (sound part); the simplified 广 is a later shorthand, not the full historical shape.
Appears in
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