浩瀚 (hào hàn) — vast, boundless | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary, written word for 'vast, boundless' — grander and more elevated than 广大 or 广阔, often used for cosmic spaces or the mind.

adjective

vastboundless

Examples

浩瀚。
Zhè piàn hào hàn de shā mò yí wàng wú jì.
This vast desert stretches as far as the eye can see.
浩瀚。
hào hàn De yǔ zhòu chōng mǎn le wèi zhī.
The boundless universe is full of unknowns.
浩瀚。
Tā yǒu zhe hào hàn de xiōng huái.
He has a vast and generous heart.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

瀚hànvast

浩 and 瀚 both express vastness, together describing boundless space.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

告

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape pairs 水, water, with 告, which gives the sound.

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

氵翰瀚

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

翰

翰hàn瀚⁰hàn

Same sound today

瀚 combines 氵 (water) with 翰, where 氵 is the picture of water and 翰 gives the sound hàn.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Size & Dimension

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