# 大千世界

dà qiān shì jiè

The vast and richly varied world

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** A great world of countless realms

**Register:** Formal · literary

[Perspective](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/perspective)

## When to use it

Describe the breadth and diversity of life.

Everyday use need not carry precise religious meaning.

## Understanding the expression

The expression evokes a world far wider than one person’s familiar surroundings. It invites attention to diverse people, places, and experiences, often with a sense of wonder. The phrase has religious associations, but everyday usage usually means the broad, varied world we encounter. It can introduce a surprising observation or contrast different ways of living. Its scale is imaginative rather than a numerical claim about how many places or beings exist.

## Examples

大千世界，无奇不有。

### Traditional Chinese

大千世界，無奇不有。

dà qiān shì jiè ， wú qí bù yǒu 。

The vast world contains every kind of wonder.

旅行让她看见大千世界的多样。

### Traditional Chinese

旅行讓她看見大千世界的多樣。

lǚ xíng ràng tā kàn jiàn dà qiān shì jiè de duō yàng 。

Travel showed her the diversity of the wider world.

孩子通过书本认识大千世界。

### Traditional Chinese

孩子通過書本認識大千世界。

hái zi tōng guò shū běn rèn shi dà qiān shì jiè 。

The child learns about the vast world through books.

走出小镇，他才感到大千世界如此丰富。

### Traditional Chinese

走出小鎮，他才感到大千世界如此豐富。

zǒu chū xiǎo zhèn ， tā cái gǎn dào dà qiān shì jiè rú cǐ fēng fù 。

Only after leaving the town did he feel how rich the wider world was.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E5%A4%A7%E5%8D%83%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=844&webMd=1&la=0)

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