远大 (yuǎn dà) — far-reaching, long-term, ambitious (of vision, goals, ideals)

Definition

Adjective meaning 'far-reaching, ambitious' — used for goals, ideals, or vision that look beyond immediate gain. Always pairs with abstract nouns like 理想, 目标, 抱负, not concrete things.

verb
far-reachinglong-termambitious (of vision, goals, ideals)

Examples

  • 远大。
    Tā cóng xiǎo jiù shù lì le yuǎn dà de lǐ xiǎng.
    He set up lofty ideals from a young age.
  • 远大,。
    Zhè ge jì huà fēi cháng yuǎn dà, xū yào jǐ dài rén de nǔ lì.
    This plan is very ambitious and requires the efforts of several generations.
  • 远大。
    Yǎn guāng yuǎn dà de rén cái néng zuò chū zhèng què de jué cè.
    Only far-sighted people can make correct decisions.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

远 (far) and 大 (big) together describe a vision that reaches far and is great.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
元
元yuán远yuǎn
Same sound today

远 combines 辶, meaning walk, with 元, used for its sound.

Open 远 →

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.

Open 大 →

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