很大
hěn dà
The English phrase 'very big' is translated into Chinese as 很大 (hěn dà).
The phrase 很大 is used to describe something that is large in size or amount. This applies to physical dimensions, but it can also be used for abstract concepts like a big influence or a big change.
What does it mean word for word?
The character 很 (hěn) means 'very'.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using an adjective like 很大 to describe a noun in Chinese, you typically do not use the verb 'to be' (是) before the adjective.
How do you pronounce it?
hěn dà
Did you know?
- The character for 'big', 大, is actually a pictograph of a person stretching their arms and legs out wide to show how much space they occupy.
- If you want to say something is 'extremely big' rather than just 'very big', you might switch to 非常大, where the character 非 means 'not' and 常 means 'ordinary'.
- In Chinese, the concept of 'big' can describe something that is 'important' or 'significant' in a way English doesn't always mirror. For example, a 'big' person 大人物 refers to someone with high social status rather than physical size.
Examples in context
- 您的房间很大。Your room is very big.This sentence shows how to describe the size of a room using 很大.Tatoeba #2565768 by GlossaMatik, translation #2565750 by CM
- 这些苹果很大。These apples are very big.This sentence uses 很大 to describe the size of apples.Tatoeba #6307275 by gumblex, translation #6177965 by CarpeLanam
- 美洲很大。America is very big.This sentence uses 很大 to describe the size of a continent.Tatoeba #4262233 by notabene, translation #2802297 by Deerhound
- 大得像一座山 (dà de xiàng yī zuò shān)As big as a mountain
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Jiayi and Junjie are looking at a new house.
- 佳怡 Jiayi这里的客厅很大。Zhèlǐ de kètīng hěn dà.The living room here is very big.
- 俊杰 Junjie是的，而且光线很好。Shì de, érqiě guāngxiàn hěn hǎo.Yes, and the light is very good.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你觉得卧室很大吗？Nǐ juéde wòshì hěn dà ma?Do you think the bedroom is very big?
- 俊杰 Junjie我觉得正好。Wǒ juéde zhènghǎo.I think it's just right.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
