📖 Meaning
A spacious public place where large crowds gather. It refers to a broad, open venue filled with many people. The phrase is used to describe a setting where one is exposed to the eyes of the public.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Qin dynasty text Kongcongzi (《孔丛子》), attributed to Kong Fu (孔鲋). In the chapter on Gongsun Long, the philosopher Yin Wen poses a rhetorical question to the king: if a man, standing in a broad public place among a crowd, is humiliated yet dares not fight back, would the king consider him loyal? The passage uses the phrase to set the scene of a crowded, open gathering where one's behavior is visible to all.
💡 Example Usage
在广庭大众之中，他毫不怯场，侃侃而谈。
Before the large crowd in the open public square, he showed no stage fright and spoke eloquently.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 广庭大众
- Pinyin: guǎng tíng dà zhòng
- Literal Translation: broad, courtyard, great, crowd
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4