More information simp. and trad., alternative forms ...
Close
Wikipedia has articles on:
大 (Written Standard Chinese? ) 大 (Cantonese)
Glyph origin
More information Historical forms of the character 大, Shang ...
Close
More information Old Chinese ...
Old Chinese
馱
*daːl, *daːds
大
*daːds, *daːds
忕
*tʰaːds, *daːds, *djads
太
*tʰaːds
汰
*tʰaːds
汏
*daːds, *tʰaːd
軑
*daːds, *deːds
釱
*daːds, *deːds
达
*tʰeːds
杕
*deːds
Close
Ideogram ( 指事 ) : a person 人 with arms stretched out as far as possible, implying the meaning of big/great/large.
Compare with 尢 , which is a man with bent legs. Compare also 立 , similar to 大, and 交 , in which the legs are crossed. Compare also 文 , which is a man with arms outstretched and a crest or tattoo on his chest, and to 夭 , which is a man with arms outstretched and leaning to side (running or marching vigorously).
See the top component of 泰 in the original version (𡙌 ), the top component of 赤 and the bottom component of 奐 (well visible in some fonts). Related to 太 .
Unrelated to 买 , in which the bottom component is the stylization of a cowrie.
Etymology
Cognate with 太 ( OC *tʰaːds, “too, excessively ”) , 泰 ( OC *tʰaːds, “big”) . Wang (1982) also lists 誕 ( OC *l'aːnʔ, “big, magniloquent , ridiculous ”) as a cognate, which Schuessler (2007) suggests is cognate with 延 ( OC *lan, *lans, “to extend ”) instead. There are no unambiguous Tibeto-Burman cognates. Proto-Tibeto-Burman * taj ( “ big ” ) , from which came Written Tibetan མཐེ་བོ ( mthe bo , “ thumb ” ) , Anong tʰɛ ( “ big, large, great ” ) , Mikir tʰè , ketʰè (“big, large, great”), Burmese တယ် ( tai , “ very ” ) , is often compared with. There is no final –s in the Tibeto-Burman words, but a –y , which, according to James Matisoff, “indicates emergent quality in stative verbs”. Also compare Chinese 多 ( OC *ʔl'aːl, “ many , much ”) , 都 ( OC *taː, “ all ”) .
Pronunciation 1
More information Variety, Location ...
Close
More information Rime, Character ...
Close
More information Character, Reading # ...
Baxter –Sagart system 1.1 (2014 )
Character
大
大
Reading #
1/2
2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)
dà
dà
Middle Chinese
‹ daH ›
‹ dajH ›
Old Chinese
/*lˁat-s/ (MC F!)
/*lˁa[t]-s/
English
big
big
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:
* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "< >" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;
* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Close
More information Zhengzhang system (2003), Character ...
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character
大
大
Reading #
1/2
2/2
No.
1934
1939
Phonetic component
大
大
Rime group
祭
祭
Rime subdivision
1
1
Corresponding MC rime
䭾
大
Old Chinese
/*daːds/
/*daːds/
Close
Mandarin
(Standard )
(Pinyin ) : dà (da4 )
(Zhuyin ) : ㄉㄚˋ
(Chengdu , Sichuanese Pinyin ) : da4
(Xi'an , Guanzhong Pinyin ) : dā / duō
(Nanjing , Nanjing Pinyin ) : dā
(Dungan , Cyrillic and Wiktionary ) : да (da, III)
Cantonese
(Guangzhou –Hong Kong , Jyutping ) : daai6 / daai6-2
(Dongguan , Jyutping++ ) : daai3
(Taishan , Wiktionary ) : ai5
(Yangjiang , Jyutping++ ) : daai6
Gan (Wiktionary ) : tai5 / to5
Hakka
(Sixian , PFS ) : thai
(Hailu , HRS ) : tai˖
(Meixian , Guangdong ) : tai4
(Changting , Changting Pinyin ) : tai5
Jin (Wiktionary ) : da3
Northern Min (KCR ) : duōi
Eastern Min (BUC ) : duâi
Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing ): dua5 / dai5
Southern Min
(Hokkien , POJ ) : tōa / tāi / tā
(Teochew , Peng'im ) : dua7 / dai6
(Leizhou , Leizhou Pinyin ) : dua1 / dai7
Southern Pinghua (Nanning , Jyutping++ ) : daai6
Wu (Wugniu )
Xiang
(Changsha , Wiktionary ) : dai5 / da4
(Hengyang , Wiktionary ) : dai5
Note : daai6-2 - “only so big/old”.
Note : to5 - limited (e.g.
大(姑)娘 ,
大(姑)爺 / 大(姑)爷 ).
Note :
dua5 - vernacular;
dai5 - literary.
Note :
tōa/tā - vernacular;
tāi - literary.
Note :
dua7 - vernacular;
dai6 - literary.
(Leizhou )
Leizhou Pinyin : dua1 / dai7
Sinological IPA : /tua³⁵/, /tai⁵⁵/
Note :
dua1 - vernacular;
dai7 - literary.
Southern Pinghua
Wu
(Northern : Shanghai , Jiading , Songjiang , Chongming , Jiaxing )
(Northern : Suzhou , Kunshan , Changzhou , Ningbo , Zhoushan )
(Northern : Hangzhou , Shaoxing )
(Northern : Shanghai , Jiading , Songjiang , Chongming , Suzhou , Kunshan , Changzhou , Jiaxing , Hangzhou , Shaoxing , Ningbo , Zhoushan )
(Jinhua )
Note :
du/dou/do/duo - vernacular;
da - literary.
Note :
dai5 - vernacular;
da4 - literary.
Definitions
大
of great size; big ; large ; huge
Antonym: 小 ( xiǎo )
這 個 太 大 了 !/ 这 个 太 大 了 ! ― Zhè ge tài dà le! ― This is too big !
呢 條 褲 好 大 條 。 [ Cantonese , trad. ] 呢 条 裤 好 大 条 。 [ Cantonese , simp. ] ni1 tiu4 fu3 hou2 daai6 tiu4 . [ Jyutping] This pair of pants is very big .
big ; great
中 美 關係 已 有 很 大 改善 。 [ MSC , trad. ] 中 美 关系 已 有 很 大 改善 。 [ MSC , simp. ] Zhōng Měi guānxì yǐ yǒu hěn dà gǎishàn. [ Pinyin] Relations between China and America have improved greatly .
大 不列顛/ 大 不列颠 ― Dàbùlièdiān ― Great Britain
great of its kind
昨天 下 大 雨 。 ― Zuótiān xià dà yǔ. ― There was heavy rain yesterday.
好 大 𠹻 味 [ Cantonese ] ― hou2 daai6 zam6 mei6 [ Jyutping] ― a very strong smell
in an extreme manner; greatly
大 哭 ― dà kū ― to cry violently
大 吃一驚/ 大 吃一惊 ― dà chīyījīng ― to be greatly shocked
大 不 相同 ― dà bù xiàngtóng ― to be greatly different
你 遇到 這 種 情況 ,大 可以 走人 哪 。 [ MSC , trad. ] 你 遇到 这 种 情况 ,大 可以 走人 哪 。 [ MSC , simp. ] Nǐ yùdào zhè zhǒng qíngkuàng, dà kěyǐ zǒurén na. [ Pinyin] If you come across this kind of situation, you absolutely can leave.
你 可 不 知道 ,他 昨兒 過來 大 折騰 了 一 場 。好家伙 ,差點兒沒 把 這兒 拆 嘍 ! [ dialectal Mandarin , trad. ] 你 可 不 知道 ,他 昨儿 过来 大 折腾 了 一 场 。好家伙 ,差点儿没 把 这儿 拆 喽 ! [ dialectal Mandarin , simp. ] Nǐ kě bù zhīdào, tā zuór guòlai dà zhēteng le yī chǎng. Hǎojiāhuo, chàdiǎnr méi bǎ zhèr chāi lou! [ Pinyin] You don't even know, yesterday he came over and wildly stirred up trouble. Oh my God, he almost tore this place apart!
main ; major
Antonym: 小 ( xiǎo )
他們 將 車 一直 開 到 大 門口 。 [ MSC , trad. ] 他们 将 车 一直 开 到 大 门口 。 [ MSC , simp. ] Tāmen jiāng chē yīzhí kāi dào dà ménkǒu. [ Pinyin] They drove right up to the main gate.
他 是 一家 石油 公司 的 大 股東 。 [ MSC , trad. ] 他 是 一家 石油 公司 的 大 股东 。 [ MSC , simp. ] Tā shì yījiā shíyóu gōngsī de dà gǔdōng. [ Pinyin] He is a major stockholder in an oil company.
well-known ; successful (only applied to some occupations)
大 書法家 / 大 书法家 ― dà shūfǎjiā ― a well-known calligrapher
mature ; grown up
See also: 老
Antonym: 小 ( xiǎo )
你 多 大 了 ? ― Nǐ duō dà le? ― How old are you?
她 比 他 大 。 ― Tā bǐ tā dà . ― She is old er than him.
你 隻 狗 係 咁 大 㗎 喇 。 [ Cantonese , trad. ] 你 只 狗 系 咁 大 㗎 喇 。 [ Cantonese , simp. ] nei5 zek3 gau2 hai6 gam3 daai6-2 gaa3 laa3 . [ Jyutping] Your dog isn't going to grow any old er.
( of a place ) greater ( together with the surrounding area pertaining to it )
大 北京 地區 / 大 北京 地区 ― Dà Běijīng Dìqū ― Greater Beijing Area
( Cantonese ) to grow up
喺 廣州 大 / 喺 广州 大 [ Cantonese ] ― hai2 gwong2 zau1 daai6 [ Jyutping] ― to grow up in Guangzhou
( Cantonese ) to be older than
Antonym: 細 / 细 ( xì )
我 大 佢 兩 年 。 [ Cantonese , trad. ] 我 大 佢 两 年 。 [ Cantonese , simp. ] ngo5 daai6 keoi5 loeng5 nin4 . [ Jyutping] I am older than them by two years.
( dialectal ) father
( dialectal ) father 's elder or younger brother
( Cantonese , slang ) to intimidate ; to threaten
你 大 我 呀 ? [ Cantonese ] ― nei5 daai6 ngo5 aa4 ? [ Jyutping] ― Are you trying to intimidate me?
你 咪 大 我 。 [ Cantonese ] ― nei5 mai5 daai6 ngo5 . [ Jyutping] ― Don't you threaten me.
( Cantonese ) only so big
咁高咁大 [ Cantonese ] ― gam3 gou1 gam3 daai6-2 [ Jyutping] ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
( Cantonese , euphemistic ) number two
我 好 急 呀 ,要 去 大 。 [ Cantonese , trad. and simp. ] ngo5 hou2 gap1 aa3 , jiu3 heoi3 daai6 . [ Jyutping] I'm very desperate and need to go number two .
Short for 大學 / 大学 ( dàxué , “university”). Used only in the abbreviation of the name.
北大 ― Běidà ― Peking University
45th tetragram of the Taixuanjing ; "greatness " (𝌲 )
a surname
Synonyms
More information Variety, Location ...
Close
Dialectal synonyms of
大 (“big; large”)
[ map]
Descendants
Others :
→ Thai: ไท้ ( tái )
→ Old Turkic: 𐱃𐰖 ( tay )
Pronunciation 2
More information Rime, Character ...
Close
More information Character, Reading # ...
Baxter –Sagart system 1.1 (2014 )
Character
大
Reading #
2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)
dà
Middle Chinese
‹ dajH ›
Old Chinese
/*lˁa[t]-s/
English
big
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:
* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "< >" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;
* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Close
More information Zhengzhang system (2003), Character ...
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character
大
Reading #
2/2
No.
1939
Phonetic component
大
Rime group
祭
Rime subdivision
1
Corresponding MC rime
大
Old Chinese
/*daːds/
Close
Note :
dà - variant used in 大王 ( “ ringleader; monarch ” ) .
Compounds
主治大夫 ( zhǔzhì dàifu ) 大剛來 / 大刚来 大剛喒 / 大刚咱 大古 大古裡彩 / 大古里彩 大城 大夫 大故 大王 大黃 / 大黄 猢猻大王 / 猢狲大王 蒙古大夫 ( měnggǔ dàifu )
Pronunciation 4
For pronunciation and definitions of 大 – see 太 (“too ; so ; etc.”). (This character is an ancient form of 太 ).
For pronunciation and definitions of 大 – see 泰 (“big ; large ; great ; extensive ; etc.”). (This character is an ancient form of 泰 ).