大

dà

HSK 1

大 — dà

1. big; large; great

   这是一座很大的房子。 zhè shì yīzuò hěndà de fángzi — This is a very big house.

2. older (than another person); eldest (in a family order)

   她是我大姐，比我大三岁。 tā shì wǒ dàjiě bǐ wǒ dà sānsuì — She is my eldest sister; she is three years older than me.

3. greatly; freely; fully (used adverbially)

   你可以放心，大胆去做吧。 nǐ kěyǐ fàngxīn dàdǎn qù zuò ba — You can be at ease; boldly go ahead and do it.

4. (dialect) father; (dialect) uncle (father's brother)

   在乡下，孩子常叫父亲为大。 zài xiāngxià háizi cháng jiào fùqīn wèi dà — In the countryside, children often call their father 'da'.

5. (compound usage) part of compounds such as 大夫 (see other pronunciation)

   村里的老大夫医术高明，大家都很信任他。 cūnlǐ de lǎodàfū yīshù gāomíng dàjiā dōu hěn xìnrèn tā — The village's old doctor has excellent skills; everyone trusts him.

大 — dài

1. used only in 大夫 (dàifu), meaning doctor or physician

   请大夫给我开点药吧。 qǐng dàfū gěi wǒ kāidiǎn yào ba — Please, doctor, prescribe me some medicine.