每天成语
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发扬光大

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

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: fā yáng guāng dà
  • English Translation: To carry forward and enhance (a tradition or spirit)
  • Idiom Composition: 「发扬」（To develop, promote, or carry forward (a spirit or tradition)）＋「光大」（To glorify, expand, or make grand and bright）
  • Meaning: To not only inherit excellent traditions, spirits, or styles but to further develop them and make them even more glorious and influential. It is a highly positive term frequently used in formal speeches and writing.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「发扬光大」 contains the following nuances:

  • Inheritance and Growth: This idiom carries a strong nuance of active development; it is not just about protecting the status quo, but about making something better and more widely known.
  • Positive Constraints: The object of this idiom must always be something positive, such as traditions, virtues, or culture. It is never used for bad habits or purely selfish interests.
  • Formal Register: This is a 'heavy' or formal expression. It is more likely to be seen in political slogans, ceremonial speeches, or corporate philosophies than in casual daily conversation.

3. Usage

「发扬光大」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Inheritance of Culture and Tradition: Used when discussing passing down traditional culture, arts, or long-standing craftsmanship to the next generation while increasing its prominence.
    • Example:「我们要把这种优秀的传统文化发扬光大。」
      （We must further develop and promote this excellent traditional culture.)
  • Praising Virtues and Spirits: Used to advocate for the spread of abstract virtues like 'the spirit of helping others' or 'patriotism' throughout society.
    • Example:「这种乐于助人的精神值得我们发扬光大。」
      （This spirit of helping others is worthy of being carried forward and enhanced by all of us.)
  • Organizational and Business Growth: Used in declarations of intent to inherit a founder's vision and grow a company or organization even further.
    • Example:「新任董事长承诺将把公司的核心价值发扬光大。」
      （The new chairman promised to further enhance and expand the company's core values.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 中医文化博大精深，需要后人不断发扬光大。
    （Traditional Chinese Medicine culture is vast and profound, requiring future generations to constantly develop and promote it.）
  2. 希望你能继承父业，并将家族生意发扬光大。
    （I hope you can inherit your father's legacy and further expand the family business.）
  3. 奥林匹克精神在这次运动会中得到了发扬光大。
    （The Olympic spirit was greatly promoted and glorified during these games.）
  4. 尊老爱幼是中华民族的美德，我们要发扬光大。
    （Respecting the elderly and loving the young is a virtue of the Chinese nation, and we should carry it forward and enhance it.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • The term originates from ancient philosophical texts, including concepts found in the Book of Changes (易经), specifically relating to the 'Kun' hexagram which discusses the vastness of virtue. While it originally described the static greatness of one's character, its modern usage has evolved to emphasize the dynamic act of 'developing' or 'promoting' something.
  • In modern Chinese society, this idiom is a staple of formal rhetoric. You will frequently encounter it in official documents or during major anniversaries of institutions where leaders pledge to uphold and grow the organization's legacy.
  • It is often used in the set phrase 继承和发扬 (jì chéng hé fā yáng), which means 'to inherit and carry forward,' emphasizing the link between past legacy and future growth.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

发扬光大 (fā yáng guāng dà) expresses a strong resolve to take a positive legacy—such as a culture, virtue, or business—and expand its impact. It is a sophisticated and formal expression used to describe the active promotion and glorification of something valuable.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Pre-Level 1

Idiom Essay

fā yáng guāng dà
发扬光大
Carry Forward and Enhance
dāng当wǒ men我们cóng从qián rén前人nà lǐ那里jiē guò接过yī yàng一样zhēn guì珍贵de的dōng xī东西shí时，tōng cháng通常huì会yǒu有liǎng zhǒng两种xuǎn zé选择。

When we receive something precious from our predecessors, we usually have two choices.

yī zhǒng一种shì是bǎ把tā它xiǎo xīn yì yì小心翼翼dì地cáng藏hǎo好，shēng pà生怕nòng diū弄丢le了；lìng另yī zhǒng一种，zé则shì是bù jǐn不仅bǎ把tā它bǎo cún保存hǎo好，hái还yào要ràng让tā它zài在zì jǐ自己shǒu lǐ手里biàn dé变得gèng更hǎo好、gèng更yǒu有yǐng xiǎng lì影响力。

One is to hide it away carefully for fear of losing it; the other is not only to preserve it well but also to make it better and more influential in our own hands.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个chōng mǎn充满néng liàng能量de的chéng yǔ成语，zhuān mén专门yòng lái用来xíng róng形容hòu后yī zhǒng一种tài dù态度，jiào叫“fā yáng guāng dà发扬光大”。

In Chinese, there is a powerful idiom specifically used to describe the latter attitude, called 发扬光大.

zhè ge这个cí词tīng qǐ lái听起来jiù就hěn很míng liàng明亮。

This phrase sounds very bright.

“fā yáng发扬”，yì si意思shì是ràng让mǒu zhǒng某种jīng shén精神huò或fēng qì风气sàn fà散发chū lái出来，bù zài不再yǐn cáng隐藏；“guāng dà光大”，zé则shì是ràng让tā它xiàng像guāng光yī yàng一样，biàn dé变得gèng jiā更加shèng dà盛大、huī huáng辉煌。

发扬 means to let a certain spirit or atmosphere spread out and no longer be hidden; 光大 means to let it become more grand and brilliant like light.

hé合zài在yì qǐ一起，tā它de的yì si意思hěn很míng què明确：zuì hǎo最好de的bǎo hù保护，bú shì不是bǎ把dōng xī东西suǒ锁zài在guì zi柜子lǐ里，ér shì而是ràng让gèng更duō多rén人kàn jiàn看见tā它，ràng让tā它zài在xīn新de的shí dài时代lǐ里yōng yǒu拥有xīn新de的shēng mìng lì生命力。

Put together, its meaning is clear: the best protection is not to lock something in a cabinet, but to let more people see it and give it new vitality in a new era.

wǒ men我们tōng cháng通常huì会zài在shén me什么qíng jìng情境xià下yòng用tā它ne呢？

In what context do we usually use it?

wǎng wǎng往往shì是zài在miàn duì面对nà xiē那些jù yǒu具有chuán chéng传承jià zhí价值de的shì wù事物shí时。

It is often used when facing things that have value for inheritance.

bǐ rú比如，yī wèi一位nián qīng年轻de的chú shī厨师，xué huì学会le了shī fù师父de的chuán tǒng传统shǒu yì手艺，dàn但tā他bìng并méi yǒu没有zhǐ bù止步yú于cǐ此，ér shì而是jié hé结合xiàn dài rén现代人de的kǒu wèi口味jìn xíng进行le了gǎi liáng改良，ràng让zhè mén这门shǒu yì手艺bèi被gèng更duō多nián qīng rén年轻人xǐ huān喜欢。

For example, a young chef learns the traditional skills of his master, but he does not stop there; instead, he improves them to suit modern tastes, making the craft popular among more young people.

huò zhě或者，yī zhǒng一种lè yú zhù rén乐于助人de的jīng shén精神，zài在lǎo yī bèi老一辈rén人shēn shàng身上yǒu有，dào到le了xià yī bèi下一辈rén人shēn shàng身上，bù jǐn不仅méi yǒu没有xiāo shī消失，fǎn ér反而zuò做dé得gèng更duō多、gèng更guǎng广。

Or, a spirit of helping others exists in the older generation, and when it reaches the next generation, it not only remains but is practiced even more and more widely.

zhè shí hòu这时候，wǒ men我们jiù就kě yǐ可以shuō说：tā men他们bǎ把zhè zhǒng这种chuán tǒng传统“fā yáng guāng dà发扬光大”le了。

In these cases, we can say they have 发扬光大 this tradition.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语qí shí其实bāo hán包含zhe着yī zhǒng一种hěn很jī jí积极de的chǔ shì处世zhé xué哲学。

This idiom actually contains a very positive philosophy of life.

tā它gào sù告诉wǒ men我们，duì yú对于měi hǎo美好de的dōng xī东西，jǐn jǐn仅仅“jì chéng继承”shì是bù gòu不够de的。

It tells us that for beautiful things, merely inheriting them is not enough.

rú guǒ如果zhǐ shì只是zhào bān照搬guò qù过去，dōng xī东西zǎo wǎn早晚huì会biàn变jiù旧。

If we just copy the past, things will eventually become outdated.

zhēn zhèng真正dì地zūn zhòng尊重chuán tǒng传统，shì是gěi给tā它zhù rù注入xīn新de的néng liàng能量，ràng让tā它bǐ比yuán lái原来gèng更yào yǎn耀眼。

Truly respecting tradition means injecting new energy into it and making it shine brighter than before.

suǒ yǐ所以，xià cì下次dāng当nǐ你kàn dào看到yī zhǒng一种gǔ lǎo古老de的jì yì技艺chóng xīn重新liú xíng流行，huò zhě或者yī zhǒng一种hǎo好de的jīng shén精神zài在nián qīng rén年轻人shēn shàng身上shǎn shǎn fā guāng闪闪发光shí时，nǐ你jiù就huì会míng bái明白，zhè这jiù就jiào叫“fā yáng guāng dà发扬光大”。

So, next time you see an ancient skill becoming popular again, or a good spirit shining in young people, you will understand that this is called 发扬光大.

yīn wèi因为tā它bù jǐn不仅huó活zài在guò qù过去，gèng更huó活zài在dāng xià当下，ér qiě而且bǐ比yǐ qián以前gèng更liàng亮le了。

Because it lives not only in the past but also in the present, and it is brighter than before.

'造句' Feature Usage Guide

造句练习📝

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