广为 (guǎng wéi) — widely; far and wide (used before verbs in formal contexts)

Definition

A formal adverb meaning 'widely', almost always used right before a verb in written Chinese (e.g. 广为流传, 广为传颂). Very close in meaning to 广泛, but 广为 stays in front of a verb while 广泛 typically modifies a noun.

adverb
widelyfar and wide (used before verbs in formal contexts)

Examples

  • 广为。
    Zhè ge lǐ lùn zài xué jiè guǎng wéi liú chuán.
    This theory is widely circulated in academia.
  • ，广为。
    Zài xīn de zhèng cè xià, zhè xiàng jì shù dé dào le guǎng wéi tuī xíng.
    Under the new policy, this technology has been widely promoted.
  • 广为，。
    Tā de shì jì bèi guǎng wéi chuán sòng, jī lì le xǔ duō rén.
    His deeds have been widely praised and inspired many people.

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 廣; 广 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
广广guǎng
Sound part声符shēngfú
黃
黃huáng廣guǎng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 廣 combines 广 (meaning part) with 黃 (sound part); the simplified 广 is a later shorthand, not the full historical shape.

Open 广 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 為; 为 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 為 showed a hand holding an elephant; the simplified 为 is a later shorthand.

Open 为 →

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