阔气 (kuò qi) — lavish, extravagant, showy (in spending or life…

Definition

阔气 describes showing off wealth through spending or lifestyle — often with a hint of showiness or putting on a front, not just being rich.

adjective

lavishextravagantshowy (in spending or lifestyle)

阔气，。
Tā jié hūn shí bàn dé hěn kuò qi, qǐng le hěn duō rén.
His wedding was very lavish — he invited a lot of people.
阔气，。
Zhè jiā jiǔ diàn zhuāng xiū de zhēn kuò qi, dào chù dōu shì jīn sè.
This hotel is decorated really extravagantly — gold everywhere.
，。
Tā xǐ huan bǎi kuò qi, qí shí bìng méi yǒu nà me duō qián.
He likes to put on a show of wealth, but he doesn't actually have that much money.

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

气qìair, style

阔 “rich” and 气 “air, style” together describe a showy, lavish manner.

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 闊; 阔 is its simplified writing.

門活闊

Meaning part形符xíngfú

門門méngate; door

Sound part声符shēngfú

活

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 闊 shows 門, a gate or door, with 活, which gives the sound; the simplified 阔 is a later shorthand.

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 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

气米氣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

气

Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.