Meaning
伸展 describes the action of stretching out or extending something, whether it's a physical body part, limbs, or something abstract like territory or space. It conveys the idea of making something longer, wider, or more expansive from a contracted or folded state.
Usage
Commonly used in contexts of physical exercise (stretching muscles), body movements (extending arms or legs), or describing how things spread out in space. Often appears in health and fitness contexts, and can describe both voluntary actions (stretching your body) and natural phenomena (roads extending, landscapes unfolding).
Examples
- 01运动前要做伸展运动，避免受伤。, .You should do stretching exercises before working out to avoid injury.
- 02她伸展双臂，深深地吸了一口气。, .She stretched out her arms and took a deep breath.
Characters
Common collocations
- 伸展身体to stretch one's body
- 伸展运动stretching exercises
- 伸展四肢to stretch one's limbs
- 充分伸展to stretch fully
Antonyms
Origin
Both characters relate to extension: 伸 originally depicted a person (亻) extending their body (申), while 展 combines 尸 (body) with a component suggesting unrolling or spreading. Together they reinforce the meaning of extending or stretching out.