大帽子 (dà mào zi) — (figurative) an exaggerated label or unwarranted charge applied to someone; (colloquial) a person who acts high and mighty or puts on airs

Definition

A figurative label — an exaggerated or baseless accusation pinned on someone (扣大帽子 'slap a big label on sb'). Less literally, it can also mean someone who 'puts on a big hat', acting high and mighty.

noun
(figurative) an exaggerated label or unwarranted charge applied to someone(colloquial) a person who acts high and mighty or puts on airs

Examples

  • 大帽子，。
    Tā gěi duì shǒu kòu le yí gè dà mào zi, shuō duì fāng bú ài guó.
    He slapped a big label on his opponent, saying the other side is unpatriotic.
  • ，大帽子。
    Bié kàn tā zhí wèi bù gāo, zǒng shì yí fù dà mào zi de yàng zi.
    Although his position is not high, he always acts like a high and mighty person.
  • 大帽子，。
    Zhè zhǒng pī píng chún cuì shì kòu dà mào zi, háo wú gēn jù.
    This kind of criticism is purely an unwarranted charge, completely unfounded.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

大dàbig
帽子hat
帽màohat子zǐ

The big 帽子 image gives an oversized label put on someone, hence an exaggerated, unwarranted charge.

Characters in this word

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 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
巾巾jīncloth
Sound part声符shēngfú
冒
冒mào帽mào
Same sound today

帽 uses 巾 (cloth) for the meaning and 冒 for the sound. The earlier form 冃 was later written with 目 and 巾 added.

Open 帽 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →

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