心花怒放 (xīn huā nù fàng) — to be overjoyed; to be elated; to be extremely happy

Definition

A vivid idiom meaning 'bursting with joy' — the heart blossoms wildly. A stronger, more literary way to say 高兴, often used in writing or storytelling.

idiom
to be overjoyedto be elatedto be extremely happy

Examples

  • ，心花怒放。
    Tīng dào zhè ge hǎo xiāo xi, tā dùn shí xīn huā nù fàng.
    Upon hearing this good news, he was overjoyed.
  • ，心花怒放，。
    Huò jiǎng de nà yí kè, tā xīn huā nù fàng, jī dòng dé shuō bù chū huà.
    The moment she won the award, she was elated and too excited to speak.
  • ，心花怒放。
    Duō nián wèi jiàn de péng you tū rán lái fǎng, ràng tā xīn huā nù fàng.
    A friend he hadn't seen for years visited suddenly, making him overjoyed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

心花heart flowers
心xīnheart花huāflower
偏正Modifier + head
怒放burst open
怒nùvigorous放fàngopen
偏正Modifier + head

心花 means heart flowers and 怒放 means burst open, suggesting great joy.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
化
化huà花
Same sound today

花 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 化, which gives the sound.

Open 花 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
奴
奴nú怒nù
Same sound today

怒 pairs 心 (heart) with 奴, which is used for its sound rather than its meaning of slave.

Open 怒 →

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
攵Written in full as攴pūhand, action
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng放fàng
Same sound today

放 uses 方 for its sound and 攵, a hand/action part, to mark an action of release.

Open 放 →

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