The Chinese Radical: 大


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Meaning
big, huge    大

Explanation

Used in these characters:
JLPT HSK 1
big, huge, large, oldest
dà, dài

A person with arms spread widely appears: big.
JLPT HSK 1
sky, heaven
tiān
A big person with the sky/heaven above him.
As far as a big person can reach is: the sky.
JLPT HSK 1
extreme, highest, greatest, too (much)
tài
Top: big (A person with widely spread arms appears: big.), below: a little bit more:
When something is big, and more is added, it becomes extreme.
JLPT HSK 1
chair

Left: tree/wood , right: strange (There is a big possibility (opportunity) , but it looks strange.) [possibility = The nail into the opening should be possible.]
With wood you have big possibilities, such as making: a chair.
JLPT HSK 2
husband, man, manual worker

Two and person
The big person with the extra-caring arms is the husband.
JLPT HSK 2
reason, cause, because
yīn
Outside: enclosure , inside: big person
The fence around the big person has its reason.
JLPT HSK 3
strange, odd, weird
jī, qí
Top: big (A person with widely spread arms appears: big), bottom: possible (The nail into the opening should be possible)
It is a big possibility but it looks strange.
JLPT HSK 3
leader, chief, boss, the top, head
tóu, tou
Big with two protruding eyes
The big one with the protuding eyes is our leader and chief.
JLPT HSK 3
to ride (an animal or bike), to sit astride

Left: horse /馬 (= mane, 4 legs and a tail ㄅ), right: strange, odd (There is a big possibility (opportunity) , but it looks strange.)
A horse gives you big possibilities, when you are riding.
JLPT HSK 3
attend, participate, join, irregular
cān, shēn, cēn
From top: nose ム (a nose in side view), big , hairy (Originally this was the image of a kneeling woman = く with long hair (possibly with hairpins ?), with the meaning: beautiful)
Where the kneeling woman ム with the big hair is, I would like to participate.
JLPT HSK 4
reward, prize, award, encouragement
jiǎng
Top: bed , evening (When the moon is not yet fully there, it is only evening.), bottom: large
Going to bed in the evening can be a big: reward.
JLPT HSK 4
strive, exert oneself, arouse
fèn
Top: big , below: rice field
Who has a big rice field, must have strived (for it).
JLPT HSK 4
America, USA, beautiful
měi
Top: sheep (The horned animal with a backbone and laterally protruding due to thick wool 三 is the: sheep), below: big
A sheep that is big is beautiful, like America.
JLPT HSK 4
to depend, to live (in a house), to lodge

Top: roof , below: strange, odd = tall/big and possible (The nail into the opening should be possible.)
Under the roof, there are great possibilities, because you depend on each-other.
JLPT HSK 5
celebrate, congratulate, festival
qìng
广
Outside: building 广, inside: big
When you make the building 'big', you want to celebrate.
JLPT HSK 5
to weigh, weight, measure
héng
Outside: go , center: var. of fish , big (Here: See as a scale with two communicating plates ,亍 going up/down)
Put the fish: the big one, on the scales to weigh.
JLPT HSK 5
to attain, to reach, to amount to, eminent

Left: movement (here: endeavor). right: big
Who wants sth. big and endeavors can attain it.
JLPT HSK 5
what, how can one help
nài
Top: big , bottom: to show, altar (image of an altar with a sacrifice and drippling blood )
A big altar? What, how can that help?
JLPT HSK 5
category, type, kind, class, similar
lèi
Top: rice , bottom: big (A person with widely spread arms appears: big.)
(For culturing or breeding:) For big rice they made categories and types.
JLPT HSK 5
to boast, to exaggerate, to praise
kuā
Top: big , below: deficiency 亏 (Having only one winding seaweed means a deficiency) (Tip: See 亏 as lower part of jaw (= two teeth , tongue , lower jaw )
With a big jaw, you can boast and exaggerate.
JLPT HSK 5
cover, sheath, to encase, a case
tào
Top: big , bottom: Vari. of: long 长/ (long hair/mane in the wind)
(A present with a wrapping:) It becomes bigger and longer due to the: cover.
JLPT HSK 6
to hurry, rush, to run quickly, elope, towards
bēn, bèn
Top: big , bottom: thirty, grasses (=ten , twenty )
The big man hurries thirty-fold away.
JLPT HSK 6
center, middle, to beg
yāng
Top: yoke , below: big
The yoke on the shoulders of the big person is centered.
JLPT HSK 6
to conceal, cover up, surprise
yǎn
Left: hand , right: suddenly (i.e. lightning stroke: The big electricity [= lightning strike] comes suddenly.) [electricity = field with lightning arrester ]
The hand makes a sudden movement to conceal sth.
JLPT HSK 6
negative, nobody, do not, there is none who

The sunset is shown: The plants are made by the sun to be large [= as long shadows] at sunset.) (Please note that sunrise is: and )
The sunset is perceived negatively.
JLPT HSK 6
pointed (needle), sharp, shrewd
jiān
Top: small (A person with the arms close to the body is small), bottom: big
If the 'small' is a part of the 'big', it is its pointed end.
JLPT HSK 6
to seize, to take away forcibly, strive for
duó
Top: big , bottom: skillful hand
With a big and skillful hand you can seize or strive/compete for sth.
JLPT HSK 6
rivulet =small river, creek

Left: water , right: What? WHERE? 奚 (The down-reaching hand wants to fish with the thread something big , but: What? Where?)
To get to the water, you need to reach down and it seems like a 'big thread', then it is a rivulet.
JLPT HSK 6
obscure, mysterious, Austria 奥地利
ào
From top: var. of roof , rice , big
Under the roof, he hides rice in big quantities and this is obscure in Austria.
JLPT HSK 6
bright, clear, fresh, cool, frank
shuǎng
Big: , 4 marks: 2x
Four big marks: Here it is bright and clear.
JLPT HSK 6
to pull (an animal on a tether), to hold hands
qiān
From top: large , cover (here: the yoke or tether/snaffle of an animal), cow
The person with wide arms uses a yoke at the cow to lead or pull it.
JLPT HSK 6
to settle, to lay foundation, to fix, pay respect
diàn
Top: tribal chief 酋 (Who distributes out of the wine jug , is the tribal chief.), bottom: big
A tribal chief is doing big, when settling a foundation.
JLPT HSK 6
extravagant, luxurious, wasteful
shē
Top: big , bottom: person (old man on the sun )
The 'big' person can afford extravagant luxury.
JLPT HSK 6
to engrave, carve, to chisel away at
qiè
Left: metal 钅/, right: contract (marked sticks were in parts carved with a sword in big signs and rejoined, at fulfillment of: the contract.)
Into the metal the contract is engraved.
JLPT no HSK
deep bay, cove, harbor, Australia 澳大利亚
ào
Left: water , right: obscure (Under the roof is rice in big quantities, which is obscure.)
(Here can be dangerous backflows:) The water is obscure in the bay.
JLPT no HSK
abundant, graceful

Top: also (To see this variation as red , you can also do.) [red : When earth (clay) is burned , the pottery becomes red ], below: big
(in respect to apples) If they are reddish and big, we are in: abundance.
JLPT no HSK
to die prematurely, tender, gentle
yāo
Top: (here: a heavy plank), rest: big
If a heavy plank (falls) down on a big person, he will die young.
JLPT no HSK
what?, where?, why?

From top: a hand reaching down , thread 纟, big
The down-reaching hand wants to fish with the thread something big , but: What?, Where?
JLPT no HSK
to carry on one's back
duò, tuó
Left: horse /馬 (with mane 三, four legs und tail ㄅ), right: big
A horse can carry sth. big: on its back.
JLPT no HSK
to carve, carved words, a contract, agreement

Top: tally stick , (pairwise marked sticks were distributed at the conclusion and joined again after implementation of an agreement), sword , below: big
Cut into a tally stick with a sword in big letters: the contract.
JLPT no HSK
crotch, stride
kuí
Top: big (here: big person), bottom: piled earth
A big person is over the piled earth with one stride.
JLPT no HSK
suddenly, abruptly, hastily, to cover
yǎn
Top: big , bottom: electricity (A field with a lightning rod )
(At a lightning strike:) The big electricity comes suddenly.
JLPT no HSK
barbarians, non-Han people, to wipe out

Combination of big and bow
(Think of the Mongols:) They have big bows: The barbarians.
JLPT no HSK
clatter (of horses' hoofs)

Left: mouth , right: to attain, to reach 达 (Who wants sth. big and moves/endevours can attain.)
The sound (= what comes out of the mouth) when you reach something is: the hoof's clatter.
JLPT no HSK
excellent
huàn
Shows the image of woman giving birth - Better recognizable in the traditional character 奐 with: head , two breasts ハ and widely spread legs
A birth is excellent.
JLPT no HSK
(downwards-right concave character stroke), press down firmly

Left: hand , right: what, how can one help 奈
The hand has sth. big to show : It's this downward-stroke.
JLPT no HSK
soup
gēng
Top: lamb (The sheep on the fire is: a lamb), bottom: beautiful, USA 美 (sheep , big )
The lambs of sheep that are big are used in: the soup.

Radicals are shown here that are similar either in appearance or meaning.

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