灿烂 (càn làn) — brilliant, splendid, radiant | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Used for light, smiles, or futures that shine brightly and beautifully. Unlike 耀眼 (harsh, almost blinding light) or 辉煌 (achievements, eras), 灿烂 describes a warm radiant glow.

adjective

brilliantsplendidradiant

Examples

灿烂。
Jīn tiān de yáng guāng zhēn càn làn.
Today's sunlight is really brilliant.
灿烂。
Tā xiào dé nà me càn làn.
She smiled so radiantly.
灿烂。
Tā xiāng xìn zì jǐ de qián tú huì hěn càn làn.
He believes his future will be very splendid.

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 燦; 灿 is its simplified writing.

火粲燦

Meaning part形符xíngfú

火火huǒfire

Sound part声符shēngfú

粲

粲càn燦càn

Same sound today

The traditional form 燦 pairs 火 (fire) with 粲 as a sound part; the simplified 灿 is a shorthand, and its right side is not a historical part.

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 爛; 烂 is its simplified writing.

火闌爛

Meaning part形符xíngfú

火火huǒfire

Sound part声符shēngfú

闌

闌lán爛làn

Same sound today

The form 爛 pairs 火 (fire) with 闌 as the sound part; this explains 爛, not the simplified 烂.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Appearance Good & Bad

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