展 zhǎn — to use; to spread out; to postpone; to unfold
美术馆正在举办画展。Měi shù guǎn zhèng zài jǔ bàn huà zhǎn.The art museum is holding a painting exhibition.
Common words: 发展 (fā zhǎn)、进展 (jìn zhǎn)、展开 (zhǎn kāi)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to spread out"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to spread out", including 展 (zhǎn), 披 (pī), 衍 (yǎn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to spread out" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 展 (zhǎn), 披 (pī), 衍 (yǎn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zhǎn, pī, yǎn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 展 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 展 zhǎnto use; to spread out; to postpone; to unfoldUseful words: 发展, 进展
- 披 pīscatter; separate; to open; to unroll; to spread outUseful words: 披露, 披风
- 衍 yǎnto spread out; to develop; to overflow; to amplifyUseful words: 敷衍, 衍生
Common words for these 3 "to spread out" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 展 (zhǎn) — so "to spread out" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
发展fā zhǎndevelopment; growth; to develop; to grow进展jìn zhǎnto make headway; to make progress展开zhǎn kāito unfold; to spread out; to open up; to launch披露pī lùto reveal; to publish; to make public; to announce披风pī fēngcloak; cape披红pī hóngto drape sb in red silk as a sign of honor敷衍fū yǎnto elaborate (on a theme); to expound (the classics); perfunctory; to skimp衍生yǎn shēngto give rise to; to derive; derivative; derivation衍化yǎn huàto evolve (of ideas, designs, constructions etc); to develop and change
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "to spread out".
披 pī — scatter; separate; to open; to unroll; to spread out
天冷了，他披上了一件厚外套。Tiān lěng le, tā pī shàng le yí jiàn hòu wài tào.It got cold, so he threw on a thick coat.
Common words: 披露 (pī lù)、披风 (pī fēng)、披红 (pī hóng)
衍 yǎn — to spread out; to develop; to overflow; to amplify
“繁衍”的意思是不断地生长、繁殖。“Fán yǎn” de yì si shì bú duàn de shēng zhǎng, fán zhí.The word fanyan means to grow and reproduce continuously.
Common words: 敷衍 (fū yǎn)、衍生 (yǎn shēng)、衍化 (yǎn huà)
All 3 characters
Open 展、披、衍 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.