扩建
kuòjiàn · HSK 7
extend (factory/mine/etc.)
🏗️ 扩 expand + 建 build = build something bigger, e.g. extend a factory
扩 — hand radical 扌 + 广 (kuàng/guǎng, wide)
扩 is the simplified form of 擴. It is a semantic-phonetic compound: the hand radical 扌 suggests the action of pushing or stretching, while 广 hints at the sound and the idea of wideness. Together they convey 'to extend' or 'to expand'.
建 — 廴 (stride radical) + 聿 (writing brush)
Originally depicted a hand holding a brush (聿) combined with the 廴 'stride/extend' radical, suggesting drawing out or laying down lines. From this came the meaning of setting up or establishing, as in marking out the foundations of a building. Today it broadly means to build, establish, or construct.