CHENGYU
四通八达(sì tōng bā dá)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral
- Source:
- 《史记·郦生陆贾列传》
MEANING
- Literal
- open in four directions and reaching to eight
- Figurative meaning
- well connected in every direction (of roads or transport)
ORIGIN STORY
The Records of the Grand Historian praises the city of Chenliu as "the crossroads of the realm — a place open in four directions and reaching to five." The count grew to eight, and the phrase fixed on transport that goes everywhere.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“with excellent links”
EXAMPLES
这座城市的交通四通八达。Zhè zuò chéngshì de jiāotōng sì tōng bā dá.HSK6
The city's transport reaches in all eight directions.
新机场建成后，交通更加四通八达。Xīn jīchǎng jiàn chéng hòu, jiāotōng gèngjiā sì tōng bā dá.HSK6
With the new airport, connections now extend everywhere.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It describes routes and connections — roads, rail, networks — not people being versatile.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01