CHENGYU
豁然开朗(huò rán kāi lǎng)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary, approving
- Source:
- 晋·陶潜《桃花源记》
MEANING
- Literal
- suddenly opening wide and bright
- Figurative meaning
- a sudden clearing of mind or view; the dawn of understanding
ORIGIN STORY
In Tao Yuanming's "Peach Blossom Spring", a fisherman squeezes through a narrow cave: "After a few dozen more steps, it suddenly opened wide and bright" — onto the hidden utopia. The phrase kept both its landscape and its flash of insight.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to see the light”
EXAMPLES
走出山洞，眼前豁然开朗。Zǒu chū shāndòng, yǎnqián huò rán kāi lǎng.HSK6
Out of the cave, the view suddenly opened wide and bright.
听了他的建议，我的思路豁然开朗。Tīng le tā de jiànyì, wǒ de sīlù huò rán kāi lǎng.HSK6
After his advice, my thinking suddenly cleared.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Note the reading: 豁 is huò. It is a sudden brightening — of a scene or a mind — not slow improvement.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01