欢天喜地 (huān tiān xǐ dì) — overjoyed, extremely happy, elated

Definition

Idiom meaning 'overjoyed, ecstatic' — used in writing and speech to describe a whole group or scene bursting with happiness, not a single person's quiet feeling.

idiom
overjoyedextremely happyelated

Examples

  • ，欢天喜地。
    Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, dà jiā dōu huān tiān xǐ dì.
    When everyone heard the news, they were overjoyed.
  • ，欢天喜地。
    Chūn jié shí, hái zi men huān tiān xǐ dì dì pǎo lái pǎo qù.
    During Spring Festival, the children ran around joyfully.
  • ，欢天喜地。
    Hūn lǐ shàng, xīn niáng xīn láng huān tiān xǐ dì dì yíng jiē bīn kè.
    At the wedding, the bride and groom greeted the guests with great joy.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most 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 歡; 欢 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
欠欠qiàn
Sound part声符shēngfú
雚
雚guàn歡huān
Same sound today

The traditional form 歡 uses 雚 for the sound and 欠 for the meaning; the simplified 欢 is a later shorthand, so its parts do not carry that history.

Open 欢 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

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

喜 combines 壴, a drum, with 口, a mouth.

Open 喜 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →

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