心旷神怡

心曠神怡

xīnkuàngshényí

idiom #38,721

Meanings

1 carefree and relaxed
2 heart open and spirit delighted — refreshed in body and mind

Characters

joyful; at ease

Examples

站在山顶，望着远方，令人心旷神怡。

Zhàn zài shāndǐng, wàngzhe yuǎnfāng, lìng rén xīnkuàngshényí.

Standing on the summit and gazing into the distance makes one feel wonderfully refreshed.

清晨的花园让我心旷神怡。

Qīngchén de huāyuán ràng wǒ xīnkuàngshényí.

The garden in the early morning filled me with a sense of calm joy.

读完这首诗，我感到心旷神怡。

Dú wán zhè shǒu shī, wǒ gǎndào xīnkuàngshényí.

After finishing this poem, I felt wonderfully at ease.

Tips

history

From Fan Zhongyan's Song-dynasty essay 《岳阳楼记》 (On Yueyang Tower): 登斯楼也，则有心旷神怡，宠辱皆忘 — 'climbing this tower, one feels heart open and spirit glad, forgetting both honor and disgrace.' One of the most quoted lines in classical Chinese.

usage

Reserved for aesthetic or natural experiences — scenery, music, gardens, clean air. Not used for mundane happiness like getting good news.

Stroke Order

心 xīn

旷 kuàng

神 shén

怡 yí