四通八达

Pronunciation: sì tōng bā dá Literal meaning: Connected in four directions, reaching in eight

Origin & Usage

Four (四) ways through (通) and eight (八) ways out (达). The construction takes the four cardinal directions and the four corners between them, so it names the compass and then claims every line of it. Road networks and junction cities, and in modern writing transport and communications infrastructure; it is straightforwardly a compliment, since a place described this way is one that everything passes through.

Examples

English: "Shanghai's subway system extends in all directions throughout the city."

Chinese: 上海的地铁系统四通八达，覆盖整个城市。