The Chinese Radical: 大




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Meaning
big, huge    大

Explanation

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

A person 人 with arms 一 spread widely appears: big.  
HSK 1
sky, heaven
tiān
A big 大 person with the sky/heaven 一 above him.
As far as a big person can reach is: the sky.  
HSK 1
extreme, highest, greatest, too (much)
tài
Top: big 大 (A person 人 with widely spread arms 一 appears: big.), below: a little bit more: 丶
When something is big, and more is added, it becomes extreme.  
HSK 1
chair

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

Two 二 and person 人
The big 大 person with the extra-caring arms 一 is the husband.  
HSK 2
reason, cause, because
yīn
Outside: enclosure 囗, inside: big 大 person
The fence around the big person has its reason.  
HSK 3
strange, odd, weird
jī, qí
Top: big 大 (A person 人 with widely spread arms 一 appears: big), bottom: possible 可 (The nail 丁 into the opening 口 should be possible)
It is a big possibility but it looks strange.  
HSK 3
leader, chief, boss, the top, head
tóu, tou
Big 大 with two protruding eyes 丶丶
The big one with the protruding eyes is our leader and chief.  
HSK 3
to ride (an animal or bike), to sit astride

Left: horse 马/馬 (= mane, 4 legs 灬 and a tail ㄅ), right: strange, odd 奇 (There is a big 大 possibility (opportunity) 可, but it looks strange.)
A horse gives you big possibilities, when you are riding.  
HSK 3
attend, participate, join, irregular
cān, shēn, cēn
From top: nose 厶 (a nose in side view), big 大, hairy 彡 (Originally this was the image of a kneeling woman 女 = くノ一 with long hair 彡 (possibly with hairpins 八 ?), with the meaning: beautiful)
Where the kneeling woman 厶 with the big hair is, I would like to participate.  
HSK 4
reward, prize, award, encouragement
jiǎng
Top: bed 丬, evening 夕 (When the moon 月 is not yet fully there, it is only evening.), bottom: large 大
Going to bed in the evening can be a big: reward.  
HSK 4
strive, exert oneself, arouse
fèn
Top: big 大, below: rice field 田
Who has a big rice field, must have strived (for it).  
HSK 4
America, USA, beautiful
měi
Top: sheep 羊 (The horned 丷 animal with a backbone 丨 and laterally protruding due to thick wool 三 is the: sheep), below: big 大
A sheep that is big is beautiful, like America.  
HSK 4
to depend, to live (in a house), to lodge

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

Left: movement 辶 (here: endeavor). right: big 大
Who wants sth. big and endeavors can attain it.  
HSK 5
what, how can one help
nài
Top: big 大, bottom: to show, altar 示 (image of an altar 丁 with a sacrifice 一 and dripping blood 八)
A big altar? What, how can that help?  
HSK 5
category, type, kind, class, similar
lèi
Top: rice 米, bottom: big 大 (A person 人 with widely spread arms 一 appears: big.)
(For culturing or breeding:) For big rice they made categories and types.  
HSK 5
to boast, to exaggerate, to praise
kuā
Top: big 大, below: deficiency 亏 (Having only one 一 winding seaweed 丂 means a deficiency) (Tip: See 亏 as lower part of jaw 咢 (= two teeth 口, tongue 一, lower jaw 丂)
With a big jaw, you can boast and exaggerate.  
HSK 5
cover, sheath, to encase, a case
tào
Top: big 大, bottom: variation of: long 长/長 (long hair/mane in the wind)
(A present with a wrapping:) It becomes bigger and longer due to the: cover.  
HSK 6
to hurry, rush, to run quickly, elope, towards
bēn, bèn
Top: big 大, bottom: thirty, grasses 卉 (=ten 十, twenty 廾)
The big man hurries thirty-fold away.  
HSK 6
center, middle, to beg
yāng
Top: yoke 冂, below: big 大
The yoke on the shoulders of the big person is centered.  
HSK 6
to conceal, cover up, surprise
yǎn
Left: hand 扌, right: suddenly 奄 (i.e. lightning stroke: The big 大 electricity 电 [= lightning strike] comes suddenly.) [electricity 电 = field 田 with lightning arrester 乚]
The hand makes a sudden movement to conceal sth.  
HSK 6
negative, nobody, do not, there is none who

The sunset is shown: The plants 艹 are made by the sun 日 to be large 大 [= as long shadows] at sunset.) (Please note that sunrise is: and 旦)
The sunset is perceived negatively.  
HSK 6
pointed (needle), sharp, shrewd
jiān
Top: small 小 (A person 亅 with the arms 八 close to the body is small), bottom: big 大
If the 'small' is a part of the 'big', it is its pointed end.  
HSK 6
to seize, to take away forcibly, strive for
duó
Top: big 大, bottom: skillful hand 寸
With a big and skillful hand you can seize or strive/compete for sth.  
HSK 6
rivulet =small river, creek

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

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

From top: a hand reaching down 爫, thread 纟, big 大
The down-reaching hand 爫 wants to fish with the thread 糸 something big 大, but: What?, Where?  
no HSK
to carry on one's back
duò, tuó
Left: horse 马/馬 (with mane 三, four legs 灬 and tail ㄅ), right: big 大
A horse can carry sth. big: on its back.  
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 刀, below: big 大
Cut into a tally stick with a sword in big letters: the contract.  
no HSK
crotch, stride
kuí
Top: big 大 (here: big person), bottom: piled earth 圭
A big person is over the piled earth with one stride.  
no HSK
suddenly, abruptly, hastily, to cover
yǎn
Top: big 大, bottom: electricity 电 (A field 田 with a lightning rod 乚)
(At a lightning strike:) The big electricity comes suddenly.  
no HSK
barbarians, non-Han people, to wipe out

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

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

Left: hand 扌, right: what, how can one help 奈
The hand has sth. big 大 to show 示: It's this downward-stroke.  
no HSK
soup
gēng
Top: lamb 羔 (The sheep 羊 on the fire 灬 is: a lamb), bottom: beautiful, USA 美 (sheep 羊, big 大)
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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