康庄大道 (kāng zhuāng dà dào) — (literal) broad and smooth main road; (figurative) bright future; smooth path to success; correct and promising course

Definition

A set phrase (chengyu) meaning a broad road — used almost always figuratively for a bright, successful future, not a literal highway.

noun
(literal) broad and smooth main road(figurative) bright futuresmooth path to successcorrect and promising course
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 康庄大道。
    Gǎi gé kāi fàng wèi zhōng guó de fā zhǎn kāi pì le yì tiáo kāng zhuāng dà dào.
    Reform and opening up has opened a broad road for China's development.
  • ，康庄大道。
    Nián qīng rén zhǐ yào nǔ lì, jiù néng zǒu shàng rén shēng de kāng zhuāng dà dào.
    As long as young people work hard, they can embark on a bright path in life.
  • 康庄大道。
    Wǒ men jiān xìn hé píng fā zhǎn shì rén lèi de kāng zhuāng dà dào.
    We firmly believe that peaceful development is the broad road for humanity.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

康庄broad smooth
康kāngbroad庄zhuānglevel
联合Side by side
大道main road
大dàbig道dàoroad
偏正Modifier + head

康 and 庄 both suggest a broad, smooth way, while 大 道 is a main road.

Characters in this word

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

康 pairs 庚 (threshing tools) with 米 (rice), showing rice being processed into chaff.

Open 康 →

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 莊; 庄 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艸艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
壯
壯zhuàng莊zhuāng
Same sound today

The traditional form 莊 pairs 艸 (grass) with 壯 as a sound part; the simplified 庄 is a later shorthand.

Open 庄 →

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 →

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
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →

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