大 Stroke Order — How to Write 大
大 is written in 3 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 大, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
大 Radical and Character Components
大 is an ideographic compound. A man 人 with outstretched arms.
Radical: 大 + 0 more strokes
大 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- dà
- dài
- tài
Meanings of 大 in Chinese
1
dà大
Refers to something exceeding the average in size, volume, capacity, quantity, intensity, or power; large, big, great; opposite of small.
这个商场的大厅非常宽广。
The lobby of this shopping mall is very spacious.
Referring to a comparison of size, indicating that something is larger than another.
这个苹果比那个苹果大两倍。
This apple is twice as big as that one.
Refers to a large scale, deep degree, or important nature; significant, extensive.
我们应该从大局出发，考虑长远发展。
We should consider the overall situation and focus on long-term development.
Used after "bù" (不) to indicate a small degree or infrequent occurrence.
现在过去不大方便。
It's not very convenient to go there now.
Eldest; first in rank or order (e.g., eldest child).
他家的大儿子今年高中毕业了。
His eldest son graduated from high school this year.
A respectful term, used before nouns like 'work' or 'name' to show politeness and admiration, similar to 'your esteemed' or 'your distinguished'.
能与您相见是我的荣幸，久仰大名。
It's my honor to meet you; I've long admired your distinguished name.
Used to denote a time period that is further removed in the past or future than the immediate one, similar to 'the day/year before last' or 'the day/year after next'.
我们大后天去看电影，怎么样？
How about we go to the movies the day after tomorrow?
An ancient official title, subordinate to a 'qing' and superior to a 'shi'.
春秋时期，齐国设有大夫一职。
During the Spring and Autumn period, the state of Qi established the position of 'daifu'.
Approximate, general; not very detailed or precise, indicating an estimate or a general idea.
这次会议大概会持续两个小时。
This meeting will probably last about two hours.
2
dài大
A respectful title for a doctor or physician.
他去看大夫了。
He went to see the doctor.
In traditional opera and old novels, referring to the leader of a bandit group; chieftain.
他们都尊称他为山寨大王。
They all respectfully called him the chieftain of the mountain stronghold.
3
tài大
Anciently interchangeable with '太', carrying similar meanings such as 'too', 'very', or 'great'.
古人称此为大和之境。
Ancient people referred to this as the realm of great harmony.
An archaic pronunciation of '大' (dà), specifically 'tài', which was used interchangeably with '泰' (tài) to mean peace, prosperity, or a grand state.
否极大来，世事终有转机
When misfortune reaches its extreme, good fortune will come; all things in the world eventually find a turning point.
Common Words and Phrases with 大
1
The eldest son of the emperor in the Qing Dynasty.
在清代，大阿哥的身份尊贵，常被寄予厚望
In the Qing Dynasty, the Great Prince held a noble status and was often entrusted with great expectations.
2
3
4
a large quantity of; plenty of; a lot of
我们还有大把时间可以完成这个项目。
We still have plenty of time to complete this project.
5
A large embankment built across a river to hold back water, typically forming a reservoir.
这座大坝在汛期有效地控制了洪水，保护了下游地区。
This dam effectively controlled floods during the flood season, protecting downstream areas.
6
To become known or clear (as in 'the truth is revealed'); also refers to white chalk or whitewash.
困扰大家多时的谜团，终于在专家解释后大白于天下
The mystery that had puzzled everyone for a long time finally came completely to light after the expert's explanation.
7
Chinese cabbage
妈妈今天去超市买了一些新鲜的大白菜准备包饺子。
Mom went to the supermarket today and bought some fresh napa cabbage to prepare for making dumplings.
8
Plain, colloquial language, sometimes implying it is unrefined, boring, or meaningless.
老师用大白话解释了这个复杂的概念，学生们很快就明白了。
The teacher explained the complex concept in plain language, and the students quickly understood it.
9
A white rat, often a variant of the brown rat, commonly used for laboratory research.
实验室里的大白鼠通常被用来研究疾病的治疗方法。
The white rats in the laboratory are often used to study treatments for diseases.
10
to suffer a crushing or decisive defeat
这次比赛中，我们队被对手大败，输得心服口服。
In this match, our team suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of our opponent, losing fair and square.
11
An old term for a manager of a foreign firm (taipan), or the top class in a kindergarten.
李先生在旧时是一家大型洋行的大班，负责公司的日常运营和贸易往来。
Mr. Li was the Taipan of a large foreign trading company in the old days, responsible for the daily operations and trade dealings of the firm.
12
More than half; the greater part; mostly, or very likely.
我花了大半天时间才把这份报告写完。
I spent the greater part of the day to finish this report.
13
Most of the day; a long period of time.
我今天大半天都在图书馆学习。
I spent most of the day studying in the library today.
14
To take on all the work and responsibilities; to monopolize everything.
新来的项目经理总是喜欢大包大揽，结果把团队成员的积极性都打击了。
The new project manager always tends to take on everything, which ultimately dampened the enthusiasm of the team members.
More words with 大
- jí极dà大Great, Maximum
- qiáng强dà大Powerful; strong and mighty.
- wěi伟dà大Great; mighty; outstanding.
- zhǎng长dà大to grow up; to mature
- zhòng重dà大Major and significant
- cū粗dà大bulky, thick and large
- fàng放dà大enlarge, magnify
- guǎng广dà大Vast, Extensive
- jiào较dà大Larger, Bigger
- mò莫dà大greatest; immense
- páng庞dà大Enormous; huge; gigantic.
- bó博dà大broad and extensive
- féi肥dà大Hypertrophy, Enlargement
- hào浩dà大vast, enormous
- hóng弘dà大Grand; magnificent
- hóng洪dà大loud; big and powerful; resonant
- kuā夸dà大exaggerate, overstate
- lián联dà大UN General Assembly, UNGA
- liǎn脸dà大Big face, Large face
- ná拿dà大Canada
Idioms with 大
- dà大bài败ér而táo逃utterly defeated and flee
- dà大bǐ笔yī一huī挥write or sign with a flourish
- dà大bù步liú流xīng星stride along vigorously
- dà大cái才xiǎo小yòng用great talent small use
- dà大cái材xiǎo小yòng用underemploy great talent
- dà大chǎo吵dà大nào闹to argue loudly and disorderly
- dà大chè彻dà大wù悟achieve profound realization or enlightenment
- dà大chèng秤xiǎo小dòu斗cheat customers with dishonest weights
- dà大chī吃dà大hē喝to feast lavishly
- dà大chī吃yī一jīng惊to be greatly astonished
- dà大chū出fēng风tou头to be in the limelight
- dà大chù处luò落mò墨Focus on the big picture
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Open the tool →Questions about 大
What does 大 mean in Chinese?
大 (dà) means “Eldest” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 大?
大 has 3 pronunciations: dà, dài, tài.
How many strokes does 大 have?
大 has 3 strokes.
How do you write 大?
大 is written in 3 strokes, starting from the radical 大. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 大?
The radical of 大 is 大, and 大 is an ideographic compound.
