宽阔

• Pinyin: kuān kuò
• Hanzi breakdown: 宽 = 宀 (roof) + 艹 + 见, wide/lenient; 阔 = 门 (gate) + 活, broad

Meaning

Broad; wide; spacious. Describing large physical or metaphorical expanses.

Used to describe wide physical spaces (roads, rivers, fields) and figuratively for open-mindedness or grand visions. More literary than 宽 alone. Common phrases: 宽阔的道路 (broad road), 宽阔的胸怀 (broad-minded), 宽阔的视野 (broad perspective).

Examples

1. 站在山顶俯瞰，眼前是一片宽阔的平原，一望无际。 Standing on the mountaintop looking down, before my eyes was a vast, boundless plain.
2. 新修的马路比以前宽阔多了，再也不会那么堵车了。 The newly built road is much wider than before; there won't be such bad traffic jams anymore.
3. 他虽然出身农村，但眼界宽阔，思想很开明。 Although he grew up in a rural village, he has a broad perspective and open-minded thinking.

Usage Guide

Context: description, geography, praise

Tone: appreciative

Do Say

• 这条河非常宽阔。(This river is very wide.)
• 她的心胸很宽阔。(She is very broad-minded.)

Don't Say

• 用宽阔形容狭小的空间 (宽阔 implies significant width — for smaller spaces use 宽敞)

Origin & History

Compound of 宽 (wide) + 阔 (broad). Both characters individually mean wide, creating an emphatic combination.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal