大
big; large; greatly; elder; honorific; surname
Meanings
12 senses · 45 examplesadjective
big; large; great; larger than average
neutralMost common usage, used to describe physical scale, quantity, intensity, or age.
This house is much bigger than that one.
This space is too small, we need a bigger area.
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He is five years older than me.
The wind outside is strong, remember to wear more clothes.
The power of unity is extremely great.
noun
size; magnitude; dimension
neutralUsed to ask about or state the scale of an object or person.
How old is your child now?
What is the square footage of this classroom?
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That room is twice as big as this one.
This clothing size is too big for me to wear.
Do you know how big this city is?
adverb
very; greatly; deeply
neutralUsed before adjectives or verbs to emphasize a high degree.
I was greatly surprised to meet you here.
It is already fully bright, get up quickly.
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He highly praised this project.
I blushed deeply and apologized to him.
This heavy rain lasted most of the night.
adverb
slightly; a little; not very
neutralFixed structure with "不" to indicate a low degree or infrequency.
He doesn't like to talk much, always sitting quietly in the corner.
This little baby still can't walk very well yet.
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He hasn't been going out much lately, staying home to recover.
I'm not feeling very well today, maybe I have a cold.
He doesn't really enjoy spicy food.
adjective
eldest; oldest; top in seniority
neutralUsed to indicate the oldest sibling in a family, often paired with a surname or nickname.
He is the eldest child in the family, with two younger brothers.
My older brother is a doctor.
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Hey boss, could you help me carry that box?
The head of this company is a very experienced entrepreneur.
My eldest sister rushed back from another city to attend Grandma's birthday dinner.
noun
elderly person; senior member
neutralUsed in fixed phrases to refer to all family members of different ages.
The whole family is waiting for him to come home for dinner.
The elders in the village are highly respected by the villagers.
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This restaurant has served many elderly gentlemen from the city.
During the Spring Festival, the whole family will gather together.
honorific
honorific for others' works/items
honorificUsed before nouns to show respect when referring to another person's works, letters, or belongings.
Thank you for sending your great work, I have read it carefully.
I received your honorable letter, very happy to communicate with you.
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May I ask when your work will be published?
Welcome to my humble home, this is a small gift for you, please accept it.
Your honorable visit has brought great honor to my humble home.
adjective
emphatic for time/holidays
informalUsed to emphasize the time or occasion, often in informal spoken language.
It's early in the morning, stop making loud noise.
It's extremely hot, let's stay in the air-conditioned room.
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It's the Spring Festival, don't keep saying unlucky things.
It's the weekend, why are you still working overtime?
It's a holiday, everyone should take a break.
proper noun
surname
neutralA common Chinese surname.
My surname is Da, given name is Ming, you can call me Da Ming.
Mr. Da is the new Chinese teacher in our class.
noun
father (dialectal)
dialectUsed in northern Chinese dialects to refer to one's father.
My father asked me to come check on how you've been lately.
How is your father's health?
noun
uncle (dialectal)
dialectUsed in dialects to refer to father's older or younger brother.
Third uncle is a model worker in our village.
adjective
archaic: same as 太/泰
archaicAncient usage, now rarely used except in fixed terms like 大子 (太子) and 大山 (泰山).
"Dazi" in ancient documents is the modern "Taizi" (crown prince).