# 天涯海角

tiān yá hǎi jiǎo

The remotest places in the world

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** The sky's edge and the sea's corner

**Register:** Expansive · literary

[Change & possibility](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/change)

## When to use it

Express great distance or willingness to go anywhere.

Also a place name; distinguish figurative use from tourism.

## Understanding the expression

The sky's edge and the sea's corner imagine locations beyond ordinary reach. Together they mean the most distant places, not a measurable geographic boundary. The expression appears in promises of loyalty, descriptions of wandering, and recollections of distant friends. It can emphasize emotional separation as much as physical distance. The same characters name a tourist site, so sentences about travel should clarify whether they mean that location or the wider figurative idea.

## Examples

无论你到天涯海角，我都会写信。

### Traditional Chinese

無論你到天涯海角，我都會寫信。

wú lùn nǐ dào tiān yá hǎi jiǎo ， wǒ dōu huì xiě xìn 。

Wherever you go, I will write.

他们的足迹遍及天涯海角。

### Traditional Chinese

他們的足跡遍及天涯海角。

tā men de zú jì biàn jí tiān yá hǎi jiǎo 。

Their travels reached the world's remotest places.

朋友散在天涯海角，仍保持联系。

### Traditional Chinese

朋友散在天涯海角，仍保持聯繫。

péng yǒu sàn zài tiān yá hǎi jiǎo ， réng bǎo chí lián xì 。

Friends scattered far away still keep in touch.

她愿到天涯海角寻找失散的亲人。

### Traditional Chinese

她願到天涯海角尋找失散的親人。

tā yuàn dào tiān yá hǎi jiǎo xún zhǎo shī sàn de qīn rén 。

She would search anywhere for her missing relatives.

## 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%A9%E6%B6%AF%E6%B5%B7%E8%A7%92)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=442&webMd=1&la=0)

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