胸怀大志 (xiōng huái dà zhì) — to have great ambitions; to cherish high aspirations

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'to cherish great ambitions' — used as a verb phrase describing someone with lofty aspirations. Often paired with 志存高远 to describe people aiming high.

verb
to have great ambitionsto cherish high aspirations

Examples

  • 胸怀大志，。
    Tā cóng xiǎo xiōng huái dà zhì, lì zhì yào gǎi biàn shì jiè.
    He has cherished high aspirations since childhood, determined to change the world.
  • 胸怀大志，。
    Yí gè xiōng huái dà zhì de rén, bú huì yīn wèi yì diǎn kùn nan jiù fàng qì.
    A person with great ambitions won't give up just because of a small difficulty.
  • 胸怀大志，。
    Nián qīng rén yīng dāng xiōng huái dà zhì, yǒng yú zhuī qiú mèng xiǎng.
    Young people should have high aspirations and bravely pursue their dreams.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
匈
匈xiōng胸xiōng
Same sound today

胸 adds 肉 (meat/flesh) to the original form 匈, which provides the sound.

Open 胸 →

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 懷; 怀 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
褱
褱huái懷huái
Same sound today

The traditional form 懷 uses 心 (heart) to show longing and 褱 for the sound; the simplified 怀 is a later shorthand.

Open 怀 →

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
心心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
之
之zhī志zhì
Same sound today

志 has 心, the heart, below and a simplified top from 之 for sound.

Open 志 →

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