豁然开朗

豁然開朗

huòránkāilǎng

idiom #32,813

Meanings

1 to suddenly open up to a wide vista
2 (fig.) to suddenly see the light; to be enlightened all at once

Characters

open wide; to clear

(suffix: -ly, in such a way)

Examples

走出山洞，眼前豁然开朗。

Zǒu chū shāndòng, yǎnqián huòránkāilǎng.

Stepping out of the cave, a vast scene opened up before us.

老师一解释，我豁然开朗。

Lǎoshī yì jiěshì, wǒ huòránkāilǎng.

The moment the teacher explained it, everything suddenly became clear to me.

读完这段文字，他感到豁然开朗。

Dú wán zhè duàn wénzì, tā gǎndào huòránkāilǎng.

Having read that passage, he felt a sudden clarity.

Tips

history

From Tao Yuanming's Jin-dynasty 《桃花源记》 (The Peach Blossom Spring): 初极狭，才通人。复行数十步，豁然开朗 — the fisherman squeezes through a narrow opening and emerges into the utopian village. The idiom preserves both senses: a literal wide panorama and the mental 'opening up' that follows.

usage

Works equally for a physical view opening up and for a sudden intellectual insight. Subject is usually the viewer/understander (人 + 豁然开朗) or the scene (眼前/景色 + 豁然开朗).

Stroke Order

豁 huō

然 rán

开 kāi

朗 lǎng