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莫大 (mò dà) — greatest, most important

Definition

莫大 is a written/literary adjective for 'greatest' — typically used in the formula 莫大的 + noun (e.g. 荣幸, 启发), unlike 重大 which describes the event itself.

adjective
greatestmost important

Examples

  • 莫大。
    Néng yǔ nǐ hé zuò shì mò dà de róng xìng.
    Being able to cooperate with you is the greatest honor.
  • 莫大。
    Zhè běn shū gěi le wǒ mò dà de qǐ fā.
    This book gave me the greatest inspiration.
  • 莫大。
    Huò dé zhè ge jiǎng xiàng shì mò dà de róng yào.
    Receiving this award is the greatest glory.

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.

莫mòno
大dàgreat

莫 means no, and 大 means great, so the word conveys nothing greater, hence greatest.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 莫 shows a sun sinking into bushes, meaning dusk.

Open 莫 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Comparison & Degree

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