人高马大 (rén gāo mǎ dà) — tall and strong (of a person's build)

Definition

A vivid idiom describing someone whose build is tall and powerfully built — emphasizes a large, imposing physique, not just height. Used to describe a person, never an object.

idiom
tall and strong (of a person's build)

Examples

  • 人高马大，。
    Tā cháng dé rén gāo mǎ dà, yí kàn jiù hěn yǒu lì qi.
    He is tall and strong; you can tell he has a lot of strength at a glance.
  • 人高马大。
    Nà ge rén gāo mǎ dà de yùn dòng yuán pǎo dé hěn kuài.
    That tall and strong athlete runs very fast.
  • 人高马大，。
    Tā nán péng you rén gāo mǎ dà de, tè bié néng bǎo hù tā.
    Her boyfriend is tall and strong; he can protect her really well.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

人高person tall
人rénperson高gāotall
主谓Subject + predicate
马大horse big
马mǎhorse大dàbig
主谓Subject + predicate

人高 and 马大 run together, painting a tall, strong build.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

高 was drawn as a tall building.

Open 高 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 馬; 马 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 馬 shows a horse with its head facing left, a flowing mane, and two legs standing vertically.

Open 马 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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