foundation of a great project; base of a grand enterprise
Literary and somewhat formal; used in elevated contexts to describe the groundwork or basis of an ambitious undertaking.
This plan will lay the foundation for the nation's hundred-year grand project.
Standard kanji form for this literary noun.
Variant kanji form; 洪 carries a nuance of 'vast, flood-like', while 鴻 suggests 'great, large'.
A Sino-Japanese compound of 鴻 “great, grand” and 基 “foundation,” denoting the foundation of a great undertaking.