大 dà — big; large; great
孩子在书声里一天一天长大。Hái zi zài shū shēng lǐ yì tiān yì tiān zhǎng dà.The child grows up day by day among the sounds of reading.
Common words: 大家 (dà jiā)、大学 (dà xué)、大学生 (dà xué shēng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "great"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "great", including 大 (dà), 价 (jià / jie), 状 (zhuàng), 伟 (wěi), 恢 (huī), 酷 (kù). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "great" covers 7 different Chinese characters — 大 (dà), 价 (jià / jie), 状 (zhuàng), 伟 (wěi), 恢 (huī), 酷 (kù), 鸿 (hóng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 7 characters do not share a sound — their readings span dà, jià, jie, zhuàng, wěi, huī, and more — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 大 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 大 dàbig; large; greatUseful words: 大家, 大学
- 价 jià / jieprice; value; valence (on an atom); great; good; middlemanUseful words: 价值, 价格
- 状 zhuàngaccusation; suit; state; condition; strong; greatUseful words: 状态, 状况
- 伟 wěibig; large; greatUseful words: 伟大, 雄伟
- 恢 huīto restore; to recover; greatUseful words: 恢复, 恢恢
Common words for these 7 "great" characters
Anchor each of these 7 characters in a word you can picture — start with 大 (dà) — so "great" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
大家dà jiāeveryone; influential family; great expert大学dà xuéuniversity; college大学生dà xué shēnguniversity student; college student价值jià zhívalue; worth; (ethical, cultural etc) values价格jià géprice评价píng jiàto evaluate; to assess状态zhuàng tàicondition; state; state of affairs状况zhuàng kuàngcondition; state; situation形状xíng zhuàngform; shape伟大wěi dàhuge; great; grand; worthy of the greatest admiration
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 7 ways to say "great".
价 jià / jie — price; value; valence (on an atom); great; good; middleman
这件衣服的价钱很合理。Zhè jiàn yī fu de jià qián hěn hé lǐ.The price of this piece of clothing is very reasonable.
Common words: 价值 (jià zhí)、价格 (jià gé)、评价 (píng jià)
状 zhuàng — accusation; suit; state; condition; strong; great
他今天的状态很好。Tā jīn tiān de zhuàng tài hěn hǎo.He is in good condition today.
Common words: 状态 (zhuàng tài)、状况 (zhuàng kuàng)、形状 (xíng zhuàng)
伟 wěi — big; large; great
长城是一项伟大的工程。Cháng chéng shì yí xiàng wěi dà de gōng chéng.The Great Wall is a great project.
Common words: 伟大 (wěi dà)、雄伟 (xióng wěi)、宏伟 (hóng wěi)
恢 huī — to restore; to recover; great
经过治疗，他的身体渐渐恢复了。Jīng guò zhì liáo, tā de shēn tǐ jiàn jiàn huī fù le.After treatment, his health gradually recovered.
Common words: 恢复 (huī fù)、恢恢 (huī huī)、恢复期 (huī fù qī)
酷 kù — ruthless; strong (as of wine); (slang loan from English) cool; great
这个机器人的造型十分酷炫。Zhè ge jī qì rén de zào xíng shí fēn kù xuàn.The design of this robot is very cool.
Common words: 残酷 (cán kù)、冷酷 (lěng kù)、酷似 (kù sì)
鸿 hóng — eastern bean goose; great; large
大雁也叫鸿雁，秋天会成群南飞。Dà yàn yě jiào hóng yàn, qiū tiān huì chéng qún nán fēi.Wild geese, also called hongyan, fly south in flocks in autumn.
Common words: 来鸿 (lái hóng)、飞鸿 (fēi hóng)、惊鸿 (jīng hóng)
All 7 characters
Open 大、价、状 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.