开疆拓土
kāi jiāng tuò tǔ
to extend territory; to open up new markets
Character by character
开kāi
open
open
疆jiāng
frontier
frontier
拓tuò
expand
expand
土tǔ
land
land
Example
这家奶茶品牌在国内站稳脚跟以后，又到东南亚开疆拓土。
Once it had a firm footing at home, the bubble-tea brand went on to break new ground in Southeast Asia.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Originally of emperors and generals pushing back the borders; now common in business writing about entering new markets or fields. It sounds grand, and often a little playful.
Learn this in Lesson 69 · HSK 6: 中国品牌出海 (Chinese companies go global)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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