大

dà, dài

一 + 人

HSK 2.0Level 1

HSK 3.0Level 1

Definitions

dà (adjective) big; large; huge

dà (adjective) great; important

dà (adjective) older; eldest

dà (adverb) very much; greatly

Etymology

Depicts an adult man facing forward and standing erect. The meaning later shifted to "big".

About

Originally a pictograph, it depicts an adult man standing erect and facing forward, arms outstretched and legs apart, a posture that visually conveyed bigness. Its meaning later shifted to "big". Now it serves as an adjective for physical size, volume, age, or abstract magnitude (the direct antonym of "small"), as an adverb meaning "greatly" or "highly", and as a radical that classifies characters related to size, human actions, or expansive concepts.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这是一个大房间。

Zhè shì yī gè dà fángjiān.

This is a big room.

他长大了想当医生。

Tā zhǎng dà le xiǎng dāng yīshēng.

He wants to be a doctor when he grows up.

我们大学有很多学生。

Wǒmen dàxué yǒu hěnduō xuésheng.

Our university has many students.

大家都很喜欢这个电影。

Dàjiā dōu hěn xǐhuān zhège diànyǐng.

Everyone likes this movie very much.

这个大项目需要很多资金。

Zhège dà xiàngmù xūyào hěnduō zījīn.

This big project requires a lot of funds.

他的伟大成就赢得了人们的尊敬。

Tā de wěidà chéngjiù yíngdé le rénmen de zūnjìng.

His great achievements have won people's respect.

在大多数情况下，这个问题很容易解决。

Zài dà duōshù qíngkuàng xià, zhège wèntí hěn róngyì jiějué.

In most cases, this problem is easy to solve.

对于这个重大发现，科学家们进行了深入的研究。

Duìyú zhège zhòngdà fāxiàn, kēxuéjiā men jìnxíngle shēnrù de yánjiū.

Regarding this significant discovery, scientists conducted in-depth research.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 一

Component: 人

Example Words