大
Characters in this entry
- 大
- dà · big, great, vast, large, high
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
4 · da4
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
Sentences in context
Exact source-spelling matches. Open the reader for dictionary lookups, construction notes and related examples. Occurrence does not establish a particular dictionary sense.
Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
daai6 · taai3
Cantonese word readings for 大. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
character
- of great size; big; large; huge
- big; great
- great of its kind
- in an extreme manner; greatly
- main; major
- well-known; successful (only applied to some occupations)
- mature; grown up
- (of a place) greater (together with the surrounding area pertaining to it)
- (Cantonese) to grow up
- (Cantonese) to be older than
- (dialectal) father
- (dialectal) father's elder or younger brother
- (Cantonese, slang) to intimidate; to threaten
- (Cantonese) only so big
- (Cantonese, euphemistic) number two
- (abbreviation, alt-of) short for 大學／大学 (dàxué, “university”) Used only in the abbreviation of the name.
- 45th tetragram of the Taixuanjing; "greatness" (𝌲)
- a surname
character
- used in 大夫 (dàifu, “doctor”)
- used in 大王 (dàiwáng, “(in operas, old novels, etc.) king; ringleader”)
- used in 大黃／大黄 (dàihuáng, “rhubarb”)
- used in 大城 (Dàichéng, “Daicheng, Hebei”)
- (alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 待 (“to be about to; to intend to”)
- (alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 代 (dài, “dynasty”)
character
- (Cantonese) small
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack