每天成语
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开疆拓土

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: kāi jiāng tuò tǔ
  • English Translation: Expanding borders and opening up new territories (pioneering new markets/fields)
  • Idiom Composition: 「开」（To open, clear, or initiate）＋「疆」（Border or territory (as in 疆域 jiāngyù)）＋「拓」（To expand, develop, or open up）＋「土」（Land, soil, or territory）
  • Meaning: Originally referring to a nation expanding its territory through military or political means, this idiom is now frequently used metaphorically in business, academia, and other fields to describe the aggressive pursuit of new markets or the exploration of uncharted domains. It carries a strong, ambitious, and proactive nuance.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「开疆拓土」 contains the following nuances:

  • Military and Political Expansion (Original Meaning): Refers to an emperor or general expanding the national borders and territory through warfare or strategic policy. It is frequently used in historical narratives.
  • Business and Enterprise Development (Modern Usage): Likens a company entering new markets or acquiring new customer bases to territorial expansion. It conveys a sense of aggressive growth and market leadership.

3. Usage

「开疆拓土」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Business Strategy: Used when a company enters overseas markets or launches new business ventures to emphasize their proactive stance and ambition.
    • Example:「这家科技巨头正计划在东南亚市场开疆拓土。」
      （This tech giant is planning to expand its territory in the Southeast Asian market.)
  • History and Politics: Used to describe the achievements of historical figures, particularly emperors or generals who expanded the national borders.
    • Example:「那位将军一生戎马，为国家开疆拓土，立下了赫赫战功。」
      （That general spent his life in the military, expanding the nation's borders and achieving illustrious military success.)
  • Personal Career and Academia: Used to express the spirit of challenging new research fields or unexplored areas of knowledge.
    • Example:「年轻的研究员们要有开疆拓土的勇气，探索未知的科学领域。」
      （Young researchers should have the courage to pioneer new frontiers and explore unknown scientific fields.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 为了公司的长远发展，我们需要一支敢于开疆拓土的销售团队。
    （For the long-term development of the company, we need a sales team that dares to expand into new markets.）
  2. 他在任期间，致力于开疆拓土，使公司的业务遍布全球。
    （During his tenure, he was dedicated to expanding the business, spreading the company's operations across the globe.）
  3. 创业不仅仅是守成，更重要的是要有开疆拓土的魄力。
    （Entrepreneurship is not just about maintaining the status quo; more importantly, it requires the boldness to break new ground.）
  4. 这部纪录片讲述了先辈们在荒原上开疆拓土的艰辛历程。
    （This documentary tells the arduous journey of the ancestors opening up new lands in the wilderness.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Similar expressions can be found in the Ming Dynasty novel Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms (东周列国志). Historically, expanding the reach of the Chinese empire was considered a supreme achievement for an emperor, giving this idiom a heroic and highly positive connotation.
  • In modern Chinese business culture, this term is often associated with 'Wolf Culture' (狼性文化 láng xìng wén huà)—a corporate philosophy that encourages employees to be as aggressive and hungry for success as wolves. It is used to positively describe a fierce determination to seize market share.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

While 开疆拓土 (kāi jiāng tuò tǔ) literally means "expanding territory," it is widely used in modern contexts to describe "opening new markets" or "venturing into uncharted territory." It emphasizes an offensive and ambitious stance rather than a defensive one, highlighting a spirit of pioneering and growth.

Idiom Essay

kāi jiāng tuò tǔ
开疆拓土
Expanding Horizons
dāng当wǒ men我们fān kàn翻看lì shǐ shū历史书de的shí hòu时候，jīng cháng经常huì会kàn dào看到dì tú地图shàng上de的biān jiè xiàn边界线biàn lái biàn qù变来变去。

When we flip through history books, we often see the boundary lines on maps constantly shifting.

gǔ dài古代de的jiāng jūn将军hé和jūn wáng君王，zǒng shì总是xī wàng希望zì jǐ自己de的guó jiā国家néng能gèng更dà大yì diǎn一点，zǒu走dé得gèng更yuǎn远yì diǎn一点。

Ancient generals and monarchs always hoped their countries could be a bit larger and reach a bit further.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个fēi cháng非常yǒu有lì liàng力量de的chéng yǔ成语，zhuān mén专门xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种xiàng向wài外kuò zhāng扩张de的xíng dòng行动，jiào叫“kāi jiāng tuò tǔ开疆拓土”。

In Chinese, there is a very powerful idiom specifically used to describe this outward expansion called 开疆拓土.

“jiāng疆”，jiù shì就是jiāng jiè疆界、biān jiè边界；“tǔ土”，jiù shì就是tǔ dì土地。

疆 refers to borders or boundaries, while 土 refers to land.

zì miàn字面shàng上kàn看，tā它shì是zài在shuō说bǎ把biān jiè边界dǎ kāi打开，bǎ把yuán běn原本bù不shǔ yú属于zì jǐ自己de的tǔ dì土地nà rù纳入bǎn tú版图。

Literally, it means opening up borders and incorporating land that did not originally belong to you into your territory.

nǐ你kě néng可能huì会jué de觉得，zhè ge这个cí词tīng qǐ lái听起来tài太dà大le了，hǎo xiàng好像zhǐ只shǔ yú属于zhàn zhēng战争huò zhě或者lì shǐ历史。

You might feel that this term sounds too grand, as if it only belongs to war or history.

dàn但zài在xiàn dài现代shēng huó生活zhōng中，wǒ men我们yī rán依然hěn很xǐ huān喜欢yòng用tā它。

However, in modern life, we still love to use it.

wèi shén me为什么ne呢？

Why is that?

yīn wèi因为wǒ men我们měi gè rén每个人，qí shí其实dōu都yǒu有shǔ yú属于zì jǐ自己de的“lǐng dì领地”。

Because each of us actually has our own territory.

tā它kě néng可能bú shì不是zhēn de真的tǔ dì土地，ér shì而是nǐ你de的shì yè事业，nǐ你de的néng lì能力，shèn zhì甚至shì是nǐ你xí guàn习惯de的shēng huó生活quān zi圈子。

It might not be actual land, but rather your career, your abilities, or even the social circle you are used to.

dāng当yī jiā一家gōng sī公司jué dìng决定qù去yí gè一个mò shēng陌生de的guó jiā国家zuò shēng yì做生意，miàn duì面对wán quán完全bù不shú xī熟悉de的shì chǎng市场shí时，zhè这jiù就bù不zhǐ shì只是zuò shēng yì做生意，ér shì而是zài在shāng yè商业bǎn tú版图shàng上“kāi jiāng tuò tǔ开疆拓土”。

When a company decides to do business in a foreign country and faces a completely unfamiliar market, it is not just doing business; it is 开疆拓土 on the commercial map.

dāng当nǐ你jué dìng决定tiào chū跳出shū shì qū舒适区，qù去xué xí学习yí gè一个wán quán完全mò shēng陌生de的zhuān yè专业，huò zhě或者qù去yī zuò一座mò shēng陌生de的chéng shì城市chóng xīn kāi shǐ重新开始，zhè这yě也shì是yī zhǒng一种shǔ yú属于gè个rén人de的“kāi jiāng tuò tǔ开疆拓土”。

When you decide to step out of your comfort zone to study a completely unfamiliar major or start over in a strange city, this is also a personal kind of 开疆拓土.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语yǒu有yī zhǒng一种“yě xīn野心”de的wèi dào味道，dàn但yě也dài带zhe着yī zhǒng一种jiān nán艰难。

This idiom carries a sense of ambition, but it also brings a sense of hardship.

tā它bú shì不是zài在shuō说shǒu zhù守住nǐ你yǐ jīng已经yǒu有de的dōng xī东西，ér shì而是zài在shuō说——wǒ我bù不mǎn zú满足yú于xiàn zài现在de的dà xiǎo大小，wǒ我yào要qù去zhēng fú征服wèi zhī未知de的kòng bái空白。

It is not about guarding what you already have, but about saying—I am not satisfied with the current size; I want to conquer the unknown blanks.

suǒ yǐ所以，“kāi jiāng tuò tǔ开疆拓土”zǒng shì总是bàn suí伴随zhe着yǒng qì勇气hé和fēng xiǎn风险。

Therefore, 开疆拓土 is always accompanied by courage and risk.

tā它tí xǐng提醒wǒ men我们：rén shēng人生de的biān jiè边界bìng并bú shì不是gù dìng固定de的。

It reminds us that the boundaries of life are not fixed.

rú guǒ如果nǐ你yuàn yì愿意wǎng qián往前duō多zǒu走yī bù一步，yuán běn原本bù不shǔ yú属于nǐ你de的shì jiè世界，jiù就huì会biàn chéng变成nǐ你jiǎo xià脚下de的lù路。

If you are willing to take one more step forward, the world that did not originally belong to you will become the path beneath your feet.

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