大
/tä⁵¹/Dungan
big in Chinese is 大.
大 is used to describe things of a great size. While it primarily refers to physical size, it can also be used metaphorically to describe scale, volume or intensity, such as a big assumption or a big sound.
Meaning: of a great size (adj)
Which one should you use?
Depending on the context, other terms may be more precise: 高大 can be used to convey the idea of big and 宽广 can also be used to convey the idea of big depending on the situation.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form да (romanization: da) is used in Dungan.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say something is very big, you add the adverb 很 before 大 to form 很大. When using 大 as an adjective to modify a noun, it is common to add the particle 的 between the adjective and the noun, resulting in 大的.
How do you pronounce it?
/tä⁵¹/
Did you know?
- The character 大 is a linguistic relative of the word for 'thumb' in Written Tibetan, མཐེ་བོ, both potentially tracing back to a Proto-Tibeto-Burman root meaning 'big'.
Examples in context
- 你的船不大。Your boat is not big.This sentence shows how to use the negative form with 大.Tatoeba #3376512 by go_oo, translation #6443372 by RudeGuyGames
- 汤姆的手大。Tom has big hands.This sentence demonstrates the use of 大 to describe body parts.Tatoeba #5114139 by musclegirlxyp, translation #1025404 by CK
- 假設得很大。That's a pretty big assumption.This sentence shows how 大 can be used metaphorically for an assumption.Tatoeba #5691242 by verdastelo9604, translation #4529621 by CK
- 这个城市很大。(Zhè ge chéngshì hěn dà.)This city is big.
- 那座建筑物非常巨大。(Nà zuò jiànzhúwù fēicháng jùdà.)That building is extremely big.
- 昨天我去了一家大大的商场。(Zuótiān wǒ qùle yī jiā dà dà de shāngchǎng.)Yesterday, I went to a very big shopping mall.
- 他是一个高大的篮球运动员。(Tā shì yī gè gāo dà de lánqiú yùndòng yuán.)He is a tall and big basketball player.
- 那片宽广的田野让我心旷神怡。(Nà piàn kuān guǎng de tiányě ràng wǒ xīn kuàng shén yí.)The wide and spacious field made me feel refreshed.
- 这个地区有大量的雨水。(Zhè ge dìqū yǒu dà liàng de yǔshuǐ.)This region has a large amount of rainfall.
- 209 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at a house for rent.
- 浩然 Haoran这个房子很大。Zhège fángzi hěn dà.This house is very big.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen可是房间太少了。Kěshì fángjiān tài shǎo le.But there are too few rooms.
- 浩然 Haoran客厅真的很大。Kètīng zhēnde hěn dà.The living room is really big.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我也这么觉得。Wǒ yě zhème juéde.I think so too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “big” translations and entries 大, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 大, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
