弘扬

• Pinyin: hóng yáng
• Hanzi breakdown: 弘 = 弓 (bow) + 厶 (private/inner — phonetic) — great, vast power; 扬 = 扌(hand) + 昜 (rise/sun ascending) — hand raising something upward, spreading it

Meaning

To promote and carry forward; to advocate and propagate. Used specifically for promoting positive cultural heritage, noble virtues, revolutionary spirit, or traditional values.

弘扬 is a formal, elevated term strongly associated with cultural preservation and ideological promotion. Common collocations: 弘扬传统文化 (promote traditional culture), 弘扬民族精神 (carry forward the national spirit), 弘扬社会主义核心价值观 (promote socialist core values). It implies not merely maintaining but actively propagating and magnifying something valued. A staple of official discourse, educational contexts, and cultural journalism.

Examples

1. 博物馆肩负着弘扬中华优秀传统文化的历史使命，每年吸引数百万国内外参观者深入了解华夏文明。 Museums shoulder the historic mission of promoting China’s outstanding traditional culture, drawing millions of visitors from home and abroad each year to learn more about Chinese civilization.
2. 学校大力推进传统节日文化进校园活动，旨在引导青少年主动弘扬和传承中华民族的优秀文化遗产。 The school is strongly promoting programs that bring traditional festivals onto campus, aiming to guide young people to actively carry forward and pass on the nation’s cultural heritage.
3. 这位长年驻守偏远地区的志愿者教师，以实际行动诠释并弘扬了无私奉献、甘于清苦的崇高精神。 This volunteer teacher, who has served for years in a remote area, has embodied and promoted the noble spirit of selfless dedication and willingness to endure hardship through concrete actions.

Usage Guide

Context: culture, education, government, media, ideology, national identity

Tone: elevated

Do Say

• 非物质文化遗产保护中心的核心任务之一，就是通过多元化的创新传播方式积极弘扬濒临失传的传统民间技艺。(One of the core missions of the intangible cultural heritage centre is to actively promote and carry forward traditional folk crafts at risk of extinction through diverse and innovative means of communication.)
• 他在国际文化交流论坛上发表演讲，呼吁各国共同努力弘扬人类共同的文化遗产，增进跨文明的相互理解。(He delivered a speech at an international cultural exchange forum, calling on all countries to jointly promote humanity's shared cultural heritage and deepen mutual understanding across civilisations.)

Don't Say

• 弘扬 for neutral or everyday promotion of products or events — the word is reserved for culturally, morally, or ideologically significant things worthy of propagation; use 宣传 or 推广 for general promotion

Origin & History

弘 (great; vast; to enlarge; to promote) + 扬 (to raise; to spread; to propagate)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern official use

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal