昊

By extension: greatness, vastness, or heavenly expanse.

In early usage, 昊 specifically referred to the bright, open sky of summer, symbolizing majesty and abundance of light.

Phono-semantic compound:

日 (해 일) — semantic component, representing the sun and its radiance.

夰 (놓을 호) — phonetic component, providing the sound hào / ho and connoting largeness or expansiveness.

Thus 日 + 夰 → 昊 — literally “the sun in the vastness above,” meaning the great sky illuminated by the sun.

In Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字):

「昊，昊天也。从日，夰聲。」

“昊 means the vast heaven (昊天); composed of 日 and phonetic 夰.”

Here, 昊天 (호천) was an ancient expression equivalent to 天 (heaven), emphasizing the bright and expansive aspect of the sky.

Graphical development:

Bronze inscriptions (金文 jinwen): show the sun (日) rising over an open expanse — literal depiction of the bright sky.

Seal script (篆書): stylized into the balanced form 日 + 夰.

Regular script (楷書): stabilized as 昊 with broad upper and lower balance, symbolizing heavenly expanse above earth.

昊天 (호천) — the vast heaven; often in the sense of “supreme heaven”

昊穹 (호궁) — the high and spacious firmament

昊日 (호일) — the bright sun; the radiant day

昊空 (호공) — the open sky

昊昊 (호호) — boundlessly vast (reduplicated for emphasis)

昊帝 (호제) — “Emperor of Heaven,” ancient Chinese sky deity, equivalent to 上帝

Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典, vol. 336):

「昊，昊天也，大也。」

“昊 means the vast heaven; it signifies greatness.”

It became a poetic and divine term for Heaven itself (昊天) — the source of order, light, and moral authority.

In literature and philosophy, 昊 evokes grandeur, clarity, and cosmic benevolence — the eternal brilliance of the sky that nourishes and governs all beneath it.

Book of Odes (詩經 · 大雅 · 文王):

「昊天有成命。」

“Vast Heaven has established its decree” — 昊天 here personifies Heaven’s divine authority and order.

Book of Documents (書經 · 洪範):

「欽若昊天。」

“Revere and emulate Vast Heaven” — expression of cosmic reverence; 昊天 as the source of moral order.

Zuo Commentary (左傳 · 昭公元年):

「昊天罔極。」

“Vast Heaven is without limit” — classical idiom meaning Heaven’s greatness is boundless.

These examples show 昊 used interchangeably with 天 but often with emphasis on brightness, greatness, and divinity.

Cultural and historical context:

In early Chinese cosmology, 昊天 (호천) referred to the supreme deity, equivalent to 上帝 (상제).

During the Zhou dynasty, royal sacrifices were offered to 昊天 as the Heavenly Sovereign, representing the moral and cosmic authority governing all under heaven (天下).

The expression “昊天罔極” later became a formula in classical inscriptions, symbolizing the boundless grace of Heaven.

In personal names and literary style, 昊 carries connotations of grandeur, expansiveness, and divine favor — as in names like 昊天, 昊宇 (“vast universe”), 昊然 (“clear and serene like the sky”).