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大

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: 犬, 太, 六, 丈, and ㅊ
大 U+5927, 大
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5927
← 夦
[U+5926]
CJK Unified Ideographs 夨 →
[U+5928]
Image
⼤ U+2F24, ⼤
KANGXI RADICAL BIG
← ⼣
[U+2F23]
Kangxi Radicals ⼥ →
[U+2F25]

Translingual

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Stroke order
3 strokes
Stroke order
Image

Han character

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大 (Kangxi radical 37, 大+0, 3 strokes, Cangjie input 大 (K), four-corner 40030 or 40800, composition ⿻一人 or ⿸𠂇㇏)

  1. Kangxi radical #37, ⼤.

Derived characters

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References

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  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 248, character 1
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 5831
  • Dae Jaweon: page 492, character 25
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 520, character 1
  • Unihan data for U+5927

Chinese

[edit]
simp. and trad.
大
alternative forms 亣 ancient
𠘲
𾶱 seal script
Image
Wikipedia has articles on:

Glyph origin

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Pictogram (象形): a standing person facing forward. Compare 人, which represents the profile of a person.

Often explained as an ideogram of a person with outstretched arms; however, the ancient scripts do not show stretching.

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

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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”), as well as Burmese လတ် (lat, “medium”), which bears particular resemblance to the Baxter-Sagart reconstruction.

Pronunciation 1

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Note: daai6-2 - “only so big/old”.
Note: to5 - limited (e.g. 大(姑)娘, 大(姑)爺 / 大(姑)爷).
Note:
  • dua5/duo5 - vernacular;
  • dai5 - literary.
Note:
  • tōa/tǒa/tā - vernacular;
  • tāi - literary.
Note:
  • dua7 - vernacular;
  • dai6 - literary.
    • (Leizhou)
      • Leizhou Pinyin: dua1 / dai7
      • Sinological IPA: /tua³⁵/, /tai⁵⁵/
Note:
  • dua1 - vernacular;
  • dai7 - literary.
Note:
  • du/dou/do/duo - vernacular;
  • da - literary.
Note:
  • dai5 - vernacular;
  • da4 - literary.

  • Dialectal data
Variety Location 大 (大小)
Mandarin Beijing /ta⁵¹/
Harbin /ta⁵³/
Tianjin /tɑ⁵³/
Jinan /ta²¹/
Qingdao /ta²¹³/
Zhengzhou /ta³¹²/
Xi'an /ta⁴⁴/
Xining /ta²¹³/
Yinchuan /ta¹³/
Lanzhou /ta¹³/
Ürümqi /ta²¹³/
Wuhan /ta³⁵/
Chengdu /ta¹³/
Guiyang /ta²¹³/
Kunming /ta̠²¹²/
Nanjing /tɑ⁴⁴/
Hefei /ta⁵³/
Jin Taiyuan /ta⁴⁵/
Pingyao /tei³⁵/
/tɑ³⁵/
Hohhot /ta⁵⁵/
Wu Shanghai /da²³/
/du²³/
Suzhou /dəu³¹/
Hangzhou /dɑ¹³/
/do¹³/
Wenzhou /da²²/
/dɤu²²/
Hui Shexian /tʰa²²/
/tʰo²²/
Tunxi /tʰo¹¹/
Xiang Changsha /ta⁵⁵/
/tai¹¹/
Xiangtan /dai²¹/
Gan Nanchang /tʰo²¹/ ~娘,姑母
Hakka Meixian /tʰai⁵³/
Taoyuan /tʰɑi⁵⁵/
Cantonese Guangzhou /tai²²/
Nanning /tai²²/
Hong Kong /tai²²/
Min Xiamen (Hokkien) /to²²/
/tua²²/
Fuzhou (Eastern Min) /tuɑi²⁴²/
Jian'ou (Northern Min) /tuɛ⁴⁴/
Shantou (Teochew) /tai³⁵/
/tua³¹/
Haikou (Hainanese) /ʔda³⁵/
/ʔdua²³/

Rime
Character 大 大
Reading # 1/2 2/2
Initial (聲) 定 (7) 定 (7)
Final (韻) 泰 (25) 歌 (94)
Tone (調) Departing (H) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open Open
Division (等) I I
Fanqie 徒蓋切 唐佐切
Baxter dajH daH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/dɑiH/ /dɑH/
Pan
Wuyun
/dɑiH/ /dɑH/
Shao
Rongfen
/dɑiH/ /dɑH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/dajH/ /daH/
Li
Rong
/dɑiH/ /dɑH/
Wang
Li
/dɑiH/ /dɑH/
Bernhard
Karlgren
/dʱɑiH/ /dʱɑH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
dài duò
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
daai6 do6
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.
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/

Definitions

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大

  1. 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.
  2. 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
  3. great of its kind
    昨天下大雨。  ―  Zuótiān xià dàyǔ.  ―  There was heavy rain yesterday.
    好大𠹻味 [Cantonese]  ―  hou2 daai6 zam6 mei6 [Jyutping]  ―  a very strong smell
  4. in an extreme manner; greatly
    大哭  ―  dà kū  ―  to cry violently
    大吃一驚/大吃一惊  ―  dàchīyījīng  ―  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!
  5. 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.
  6. well-known; successful (only applied to some occupations)
    大書法家/大书法家  ―  dà shūfǎjiā  ―  a well-known calligrapher
  7. 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 older 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 older.
  8. (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
  9. (Cantonese) to grow up
    喺廣州大/喺广州大 [Cantonese]  ―  hai2 gwong2 zau1 daai6 [Jyutping]  ―  to grow up in Guangzhou
  10. (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.
  11. (dialectal) father
  12. (dialectal) father's elder or younger brother
  13. (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.
  14. (Cantonese) only so big
    咁高咁大 [Cantonese]  ―  gam3 gou1 gam3 daai6-2 [Jyutping]  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)
  15. (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.
  16. short for 大學/大学 (dàxué, “university”) Used only in the abbreviation of the name.
    北大  ―  Běidà  ―  Peking University
  17. 45th tetragram of the Taixuanjing; "greatness" (𝌲)
  18. a surname
Synonyms
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Compounds

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Descendants

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Sino-Xenic (大):
  • → Japanese: 大(だい) (dai)
  • → Okinawan: 大(だー) (dā)
  • → Korean: 대(大) (dae)
  • → Vietnamese: đại (大)

Others:

Pronunciation 2

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Note:
  • dà - variant used in 大王 (“ringleader; monarch”).

Rime
Character 大
Reading # 1/2
Initial (聲) 定 (7)
Final (韻) 泰 (25)
Tone (調) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) I
Fanqie 徒蓋切
Baxter dajH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/dɑiH/
Pan
Wuyun
/dɑiH/
Shao
Rongfen
/dɑiH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/dajH/
Li
Rong
/dɑiH/
Wang
Li
/dɑiH/
Bernhard
Karlgren
/dʱɑiH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
dài
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
daai6
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.
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/

Definitions

[edit]

大

  1. used in 大夫 (dàifu, “doctor”)
  2. used in 大王 (dàiwáng, “(in operas, old novels, etc.) king; ringleader”)
  3. used in 大黃/大黄 (dàihuáng, “rhubarb”)
  4. used in 大城 (Dàichéng, “Daicheng, Hebei”)
  5. alternative form of 待 (“to be about to; to intend to”)
  6. alternative form of 代 (dài, “dynasty”)

Compounds

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Pronunciation 3

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Definitions

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大

  1. (Cantonese) small
    咁大 [Cantonese]  ―  gam3 daai6-1 [Jyutping]  ―  so puny

Pronunciation 4

[edit]
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).

References

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Japanese

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Kanji

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大

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

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Compounds

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Etymology 1

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    Kanji in this term
    大
    だい
    Grade: 1
    goon
    Alternative spelling
    die

    From Middle Chinese 大 (MC dajH).

    Pronunciation

    [edit]

    Prefix

    [edit]

    大(だい) • (dai-) 

    1. big, large
      大(だい)ピンチ
      dai-pinchi
      tremendous crisis
      大(だい)ヒットする
      dai-hitto suru
      to become a smash hit
    2. the large part of
    3. (religion) arch-

    Suffix

    [edit]

    大(だい) • (-dai) 

    1. abbreviation of 大学 (daigaku, “university”)
      東(とう)大(だい) ― Tōdai ― Tokyo Uni.
      阪(はん)大(だい) ― Handai ― Osaka Uni.
      北(ほく)大(だい) ― Hokudai ― Hokkaido Uni.
      北(ほく)陸(りく)大(だい) ― Hokurikudai ― Hokuriku Uni.
    Usage notes
    [edit]

    This is often the second half of the two-character shorthand name of universities, for example 東大 (Tōdai, “Tokyo University”). Reading of first character often changes from kun'yomi to on'yomi.

    Derived terms
    [edit]

    Etymology 2

    [edit]
      Kanji in this term
      大
      おお
      Grade: 1
      kun'yomi

      /opo/ → /ofo/ → /owo/ → /oː/

      From Old Japanese 大 (opo), from Proto-Japonic *əpə.

      Prefix

      [edit]

      大(おお) • (ō-) ←おほ (ofo-)?

      1. big; great
        大(おお)馬鹿(ばか)な
        ō-baka na
        extremely foolish
      Derived terms
      [edit]
      [edit]

      References

      [edit]
      1. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
      2. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

      Korean

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      Etymology

      [edit]

      From Middle Chinese 大 (MC dajH).

      Historical readings
      Dongguk Jeongun reading
      Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 땡〮 (Yale: ttáy)
      Middle Korean
      Text Eumhun
      Gloss (hun) Reading
      Sinjeung Yuhap, 1576 크다 (Yale: khuta) 대 (Yale: tay)

      Pronunciation

      [edit]
      • (in 大口, 大邱, 大斗, 大文, and 大田):
      • (big; main; etc.):
        • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [tɛ(ː)] ~ [te̞(ː)]
        • Phonetic hangul: [대(ː)/데(ː)]
          • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

      Hanja

      [edit]
      Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

      大 (eumhun 큰 대 (keun dae))

      1. hanja form? of 대 (“large; big”) [noun]
      2. hanja form? of 대 (“big, great; main, major”) [affix]

      Compounds

      [edit]

      References

      [edit]
      • 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전/電子字典. [2]

      Okinawan

      [edit]

      Kanji

      [edit]
      大

      (First grade kyōiku kanji)

      Readings

      [edit]

      Compounds

      [edit]

      Etymology 1

      [edit]

      Pronunciation

      [edit]

      Prefix

      [edit]

      大(でー) (dē-) 

      1. big, large

      Etymology 2

      [edit]

      From Proto-Ryukyuan *opo, from Proto-Japonic *əpə.

      Pronunciation

      [edit]

      Prefix

      [edit]

      大(うふ) (ufu-) 

      1. big; great
      2. greater
      Derived terms
      [edit]
      [edit]

      Vietnamese

      [edit]

      Han character

      [edit]

      大: Hán Việt readings: đại (度(đạc)柰(nại)切(thiết))[1][2][3]
      大: Nôm readings: đại[1][2][3][4], đài[1][2], dãy[3][5], dảy[3], đẫy[3]

      1. chữ Hán form of đại (“big; great”)

      Compounds

      [edit]

      References

      [edit]