四大 (sì dà) — (Buddhism) the four elements (earth, water, fire, wind); (PRC history) the four freedoms (大鸣, 大放, 大字报, 大辩论)

Definition

四大 means 'the four great [X]' — used as a prefix phrase plus a noun (四大文明, 四大天王). Standalone, it usually refers to Buddhism's four elements (earth, water, fire, wind).

noun
(Buddhism) the four elements (earth, water, fire, wind)(PRC history) the four freedoms (大鸣, 大放, 大字报, 大辩论)

Examples

  • 四大（、、、）。
    Fó jiào rèn wéi sì dà (dì, shuǐ, huǒ, fēng) gòu chéng le shì jiè.
    Buddhism believes that the four elements (earth, water, fire, wind) constitute the world.
  • 四大。
    Liǎo jiě sì dà shì xué xí fó xué de jī chǔ.
    Understanding the four elements is the foundation of studying Buddhism.
  • ，四大。
    Shàng shì jì wǔ liù shí nián dài, sì dà céng shì zhòng yào de zhèng zhì kǒu hào.
    In the 1950s and 1960s, the four freedoms were an important political slogan.

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.

四sìfour
大dàgreat

四 (four) and 大 (great) combine to name the four great elements or freedoms.

Characters in this word

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

The form 四 was drawn as a nose breathing out. It later came to be used for the word four.

Open 四 →

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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