Hanzi Now
CharactersIdiomsChinese NameFlashcards
Tools

Visual content

  • Chinese Text Image GeneratorCreate PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
  • Stroke Order AnimatorTurn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
  • Character Highlight AnimatorChoose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
  • Chinese Text Morph AnimatorTurn one Chinese character, word or phrase into another; download SVG, MP4 or WebM

Audio content

  • Chinese Text to SpeechRead Chinese aloud with karaoke highlighting

Teaching materials

  • Writing WorksheetsPrintable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
  • Bingo CardsPicture and word Bingo for your class
  • Picture WorksheetsChinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets

Other

  • Pinyin GeneratorConvert Chinese text to pinyin with tone marks
  • Chinese Zodiac CalculatorFind your animal sign from your birth date and make a zodiac card.
  • Chinese Word CounterCount characters, words and sentences in Chinese text
View all tools →
天宽地窄
天宽地窄
天宽地窄
天宽地窄
天宽地窄
天宽地窄
天宽地窄
天宽地窄

天宽地窄 — “Sky wide, earth narrow”

天宽地窄 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to feel that the world, though wide, offers no place for one to settle down or belong; to be utterly adrift and unable to find refuge or acceptance”. Literally, “Sky wide, earth narrow”.

Frequency

天宽地窄 Pronunciation and Pinyin

天宽地窄 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
天
tiān4sky, heaven, day, nature
宽
kuān11wide, lenient, or ample
地
dì6earth, ground, land, place
窄
zhǎi10narrow

Example Sentence with 天宽地窄

他失去了所有亲人,感觉天宽地窄,不知何去何从。
Having lost all his family, he felt the world was too vast yet offered no place for him, not knowing where to go or what to do.

Idioms Related to 天宽地窄

More idioms starting with 天

  • tiān天shàng上rén人jiān间worlds apart
  • tiān天shàng上dì地xià下,,wéi惟wǒ我dú独zūn尊supremely arrogant and self-important
  • tiān天shàng上tiān天xià下,,wéi惟wǒ我dú独zūn尊Arrogant and self-important
  • tiān天shàng上shǎo少yǒu有,,dì地xià下nán难xún寻extremely rare, unique
  • tiān天shàng上shí石lín麟a brilliant and talented son
  • tiān天shàng上qí麒lín麟praise a son's exceptional talent
  • tiān天xià下yī一jiā家universal brotherhood and harmony
  • tiān天xià下wèi为yī一The world united
  • tiān天xià下wéi为gōng公The world belongs to everyone
  • tiān天xià下wéi为jiā家To make the world one's home
  • tiān天xià下wéi为lóng笼the world is a confining cage
  • tiān天xià下wū乌yā鸦yī一bān般hēi黑all evil is the same everywhere

Recommended tools

Picture Worksheets

Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets

Open the tool →

Bingo Cards

Picture and word Bingo for your class

Open the tool →

Stroke Order Animator

Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4

Open the tool →

Character Highlight Animator

Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order

Open the tool →

Questions about 天宽地窄

What does 天宽地窄 mean?

天宽地窄 (tiān kuān dì zhǎi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to feel that the world, though wide, offers no place for one to settle down or belong; to be utterly adrift and unable to find refuge or acceptance”.

How do you pronounce 天宽地窄?

天宽地窄 is pronounced tiān kuān dì zhǎi in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 天宽地窄 literally mean?

Literally, 天宽地窄 means “Sky wide, earth narrow”. It is used to mean “to feel that the world, though wide, offers no place for one to settle down or belong; to be utterly adrift and unable to find refuge or acceptance”.

What is the Chinese definition of 天宽地窄?

窄:狭小。形容天下难以容身

Hanzi Now

Explore the charm of Chinese language

Explore

  • Characters
  • Idioms
  • Chinese Names
  • Flashcards

Tools

  • Chinese Text Image Generator
  • Stroke Order Animator
  • Character Highlight Animator
  • Bingo Cards
  • Picture Worksheets
  • All Tools

More

  • Blog
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
© 2026 Hanzi NowContact Us