浩如烟海

浩如煙海

hàorúyānhǎi

idiom

Meanings

1 as vast as a misty sea
2 (esp. of literature or documents) enormous in quantity

Characters

Examples

中国古籍浩如烟海。

Zhōngguó gǔjí hàorúyānhǎi.

China's ancient books are as vast as a misty sea.

相关文献浩如烟海，一个人很难读完。

Xiāngguān wénxiàn hàorúyānhǎi, yīgè rén hěn nán dúwán.

The relevant literature is vast beyond measure — no one person could hope to read all of it.

网络上的信息浩如烟海，辨别真假尤为重要。

Wǎngluò shàng de xìnxī hàorúyānhǎi, biànbié zhēnjiǎ yóuwéi zhòngyào.

Information on the internet is oceanic — telling real from fake matters all the more.

Tips

history

Attested in the Sui-dynasty monk Shi Zhenguan's 《梦赋》: '浩如沧海，郁如邓林' — 'vast as the azure sea, lush as Deng's grove.' The variant 浩如烟海 cements the 'misty sea of writings' image.

usage

Canonical partner is 文献 / 古籍 / 史料 / 资料 — written material in overwhelming quantity. Don't use it for physical objects or crowds.

Stroke Order

浩 hào

如 rú

烟 yān

海 hǎi