弘扬 (hóngyáng) — to promote, to carry forward

弘扬 (hóngyáng)

弘扬 means to promote and carry forward something positive — especially traditions, values, culture, or spirit. It implies active promotion with the purpose of letting something flourish and spread. It is strongly associated with Chinese political and cultural discourse, particularly in contexts of cultural heritage, patriotism, and national spirit.

Meanings

1. [v] to promote; to carry forward and develop (positive values, culture, or spirit)
2. [v] to advocate; to champion (noble qualities or traditions)

Example Sentences

弘扬中华优秀传统文化是建设社会主义文化强国的重要任务。 Hóngyáng zhōnghuá yōuxiù chuántǒng wénhuà shì jiànshè shèhuìzhǔyì wénhuà qiángguó de zhòngyào rènwù. Promoting and carrying forward excellent traditional Chinese culture is an important task in building a culturally strong socialist country.

学校通过多种形式的活动弘扬了诚信、勤奋、团结的校园精神。 Xuéxiào tōngguò duō zhǒng xíngshì de huódòng hóngyángle chéngxìn, qínfèn, tuánjié de xiàoyuán jīngshén. The school promoted the campus spirit of integrity, diligence, and solidarity through a variety of activities.

这部主旋律电影旨在弘扬抗日战争中普通士兵的英雄主义精神。 Zhè bù zhǔxuánlǜ diànyǐng zhǐ zài hóngyáng kàng Rì zhànzhēng zhōng pǔtōng shìbīng de yīngxióngzhǔyì jīngshén. This patriotic film aims to promote the spirit of heroism among ordinary soldiers during the War of Resistance against Japan.

奥林匹克精神的核心是弘扬"更快、更高、更强"的竞技理念。 Àolínpǐkè jīngshén de héxīn shì hóngyáng "gèng kuài, gèng gāo, gèng qiáng" de jìngjì lǐniàn. The core of the Olympic spirit is to promote the competitive ideal of "faster, higher, stronger."

互联网时代为弘扬民族文化提供了前所未有的传播渠道与覆盖范围。 Hùliánwǎng shídài wèi hóngyáng mínzú wénhuà tígōngle qiánsuǒwèiyǒu de chuánbō qúdào yǔ fùgài fànwéi. The internet era has provided unprecedented dissemination channels and coverage for promoting national culture.

在全球化背景下，弘扬本国文化与吸收外来文明并不矛盾。 Zài quánqiúhuà bèijǐng xià, hóngyáng běnguó wénhuà yǔ xīshōu wàilái wénmíng bìng bù máodùn. In the context of globalization, promoting one's own culture and absorbing foreign civilization are not contradictory.

Collocations

Usage Notes

弘扬 is a strongly positive word with explicit cultural and ideological associations in Chinese. It is commonly used in official discourse, school education, and cultural commentary to promote things of recognized value. The object of 弘扬 must always be something positive — values, culture, spirit, tradition. You cannot 弘扬 something negative.

Key collocations include 弘扬优秀传统文化 (promote excellent traditional culture), 弘扬民族精神 (promote the national spirit), and 弘扬社会主义核心价值观 (promote socialist core values). These are standard phrases in Chinese political and educational contexts that a C1 learner should recognize. 弘扬 is more active and more ideologically charged than 传播 (chuánbō, to spread/disseminate).

Memory Hook

弘 (vast, great, to expand) + 扬 (to raise, to promote): "raising something great and letting it spread widely" — the active promotion of valued culture and spirit.