TongTong
Sign in

发扬光大 (fā yáng guāng dà) — to carry forward and expand; to develop and promote (a tradition, spirit, or cause)

Definition

A chengyu-style phrase meaning to carry something forward AND expand it to greater glory — stronger and more literary than the verbs 推进, 发扬, or 弘扬, which only mean 'promote/carry forward'.

phrase
to carry forward and expandto develop and promote (a tradition, spirit, or cause)

Examples

  • 发扬光大。
    Wǒ men yào bǎ zhè zhǒng zhù rén wéi lè de jīng shén fā yáng guāng dà.
    We must carry forward this spirit of helping others.
  • 发扬光大。
    Tā yì shēng zhì lì yú fā yáng guāng dà zhōng huá yōu xiù wén huà.
    He devoted his life to promoting the excellent culture of China.
  • 发扬光大。
    Zhè xiàng kē yán chéng guǒ zhí dé jìn yí bù fā yáng guāng dà.
    This scientific research achievement deserves to be further developed and promoted.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →

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 揚; 扬 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng揚
Same sound today

The traditional form 揚 uses 手 to show a hand-related action and 昜 to give the sound; the simplified 扬 is a later abbreviation.

Open 扬 →

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

  • 火火huǒfire
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The shape 光 places 火 (fire) above 卩 (a kneeling person), showing fire over the head and the shining of light.

Open 光 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Idioms & Set Phrases

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.